Salvation
by Unknown Soldier Shadow
Summary: With the sacrifice of the unsung hero of the Clans, an era of peace has spread through the forest. But an ancient evil is stirring, and Redpaw, Amberpaw, and Hollypaw must rise to face it or suffer the consequences.
1. Prologue

**So I guess this makes me a liar, huh? I said that I wouldn't continue on after Shattered...but it looks like I lied. ^.^' **

**Yes, this is the third and FINAL installation in my Warriors trilogy, based off of my version of Sunrise. If you haven't read those, it's probably for the best that you read them first, since you won't know what's going on in this one...unless you have some major ESP going on. :P**

**And yes, I would like to get it over with that some of the names won't match the ones that came out, but let me remind everyone that I wrote this before Sunrise and these new so-called family trees came out, so rather than change my entire plotline around, I am going to gleefully ignore any of those, "But his name is (insert name here), idiot!" :D**

**So here we go! Mysterious prologue time~**

* * *

Shadows clustered around the midnight sky as a dark tabby padded along a well-worn path in the pitch-black forest, casting amber eyes at the thickly-leaved undergrowth that shivered on either side of him. The glint of dim light off of his shining eyes was the brightest thing in the shaded forest.

Leaves rustled on one side of him, and a scrawny black-and-white tom shouldered his way out. "Leader," he grunted, keeping a respectful distance from the dark tabby. "I haven't picked up any trace of her."

The other tom let out a low growl. "How is that possible, Bone?" he snapped. "You obviously didn't look hard enough. She _has _to be here somewhere!"

"She isn't." A lean gray she-cat came from his other side. "I would know, wouldn't I, Brokenstar?"

Brokenstar scoffed softly. "Sure, sure, Reedstar," he mewed caustically. "Am I to believe that you have some sort of kit-mother relationship?"

Reedstar narrowed her eyes. "Don't forget that I was the leader before your father was even born, kit."

Brokenstar wheeled on her, his dark pelt a whirl of color, and pinned her to the ground, holding his bared fangs a kittenstep from her throat. "Don't make me do something you'll regret, Reedtail," he snarled.

Reedstar's eyes narrowed and she spat contemptuously at him, shoving him off and shaking her fur loose of the clinging dust. "What are your orders, O Great One?"

"Double the patrols. We have to find her."

Bone looked nervously from one face to the next. "But what if we don't find her?"

Brokenstar lowered his head, baring his teeth, his eyes gleaming in the light of the clouded sky. "We will," he breathed. "Leave me."

The two cats took off like birds in flight.

Brokenstar continued on his path as if they had never been there in the first place, his head up and his eyes forward. His paws twitched as a leaf fluttered off a dead stem, and he cursed in a low voice as he realized that it was _not _prey and it would never _be _prey. This endless blankness and dreary nothingness of this place sparked his mind into a feverish frenzy. "This StarClan-forsaken forest," he spat, his eyes flying upwards towards the clouded sky. "Is this really what you wanted for us? What happened to the endless charity of the ancestors, hm?"

As his paws continued, he allowed himself to think back over the past event that had just ignited his rage again: Blackflower.

The black-and-white former medicine cat of his own Clan had reappeared some days ago, but she wasn't _really _there.

"Hello, Brokentail," she had mewed coolly, her eyes distant.

He had flattened his ears, using the gesture that had made most cats recoil in fear. "What do you want, Raven?"

"That's not my name anymore," she said loftily, tilting her head to the side as her blue eyes sparked. "It's just Blackflower. And I'm leaving this place."

He laughed hollowly. "Good luck with that! You know that no cat can leave this place...you should know that more than most." He let the insult sink in, knowing that it smarted against the wounds that Silverblaze's absence had left. Her fascination with that gaunt-faced weakling had baffled him since the day he had first set paw in this rank place.

To his surprise, she laughed, tossing back her head. "You know nothing, Brokenstar," she chuckled, her shoulders shaking with the extent of her laughter. "You've never known _anything._"

With a snarl, he launched at her, his claws extended for a slashing blow to the throat...

But he sailed right through her as if she was made of smoke. He hit the ground clumsily, his paws churning as he fought to keep his balance. Gripping the ground, he skidded to an ungraceful stop, wheeling around to stare with wide eyes as she sat on the ground delicately, her tail curled around her paws.

"I told you," she said in a light voice, "I'm leaving. I guess I forgot to tell you I already had."

"Idiot!" he exploded. "You were in my Clan! You _will _obey me!"

Her eyes hardened, looking more like blue chips of ice. "You're nothing to me," she spat, looking more like the cat that Brokenstar had known in his kithood—the fierce warrior healer. "I'm out of this place, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" She wheeled around and disappeared into the bushes.

"No!" Brokenstar dashed after her, seeing her white pelt flashing ahead of him. "I'm the leader here! You belong to me!" He raked his claws at her, feeling a sharp shock when his claws caught fur, yanking out a chunk of her fur and leaving the flesh below pink and bloody. He slowed to a stop as she disappeared like a crack of lightning, fading to nothing in less than a heartbeat.

Brokenstar didn't pant—there was no exhaustion or tiredness in this place—but his head whirled with something deeper than mere exertion. Slowly, very slowly, he tilted his head down to look at the faint glint of white fur that was caught between his claws.

Even at this very moment, Brokenstar felt the same surge of excitement as he had had then. Almost without his command, his paws sped up until he was flying through the dark forest, his ragged fur catching against brambles and thorn bushes, but he felt nothing but his own ecstasy. "Forgotten warriors of the Place of No Stars!" he yowled, letting his voice flood the silent air. "Come here and listen to your leader!"

As the clearing came into view with the sharp gray rock jutting into the air like a claw torn from the ground, cats were already seated, their pelts blending subtly with the shadows cast by the rock.

Brokenstar didn't bother climbing it. Racing into the center of the clearing, he stretched out his paw, letting the caught white strands of hair fall to the ground, dark red beads of blood still clinging to the base.

"What is this?" The deep mew came from the direct center of the circle. Another dark tabby heaved himself to his paws, coming over to look down at the fur with imperious eyes.

"Fur, Tigerstar. Fur from the traitor Blackflower." Brokenstar's eyes glinted as he stared down his greatest rival—the cat that was still trying to knock him from his position of leader of this rag-tag group of cats.

"But she's gone," Tigerstar snorted. "You must be incorrect."

"I tore it from her flank myself," Brokenstar snarled, letting his temper flare. "She thought she could escape—I couldn't touch her before. But then...I caught her."

"And then promptly let her go?" a cat called.

Wheeling around to hiss furiously, Brokenstar saw the cat that had spoken—that soft-brained Darkstripe. _If only your confidence was as weak as your mind, _he thought. _Then it would be easy to break you...but not with Tigerstar around. _

"Idiots!" Clawface padded over to stand beside his former leader, casting Brokenstar a quick glare. "Isn't it obvious what this means? If Blackflower can get out of this place—"

"Then we can, too!"

Scourge, sitting beside Bone, looked bored. "You're basing this idea off of a few strands of fur?" he asked in his high voice. "It seems a little far-fetched to me."

"I guess you want to stay here forever then?" Brokenstar was pacing now, his paws pounding against the dry ground. "Stay here under StarClan's eyes, kept out of the light by unjust paws? _We _were the most powerful, _we _were the smartest, the quickest, the fiercest." He stopped pacing, turning to face the silent cats. "Why should we get the bad prey out of this deal? Why should we be stuck here, forgotten by our kin and watch our Clans weaken?"

He could tell they were enraptured by his words—words of freedom.

With a new arrogance in his voice, he sat down and said simply, "Follow me. I will lead us back to where we belong...and we will claim StarClan's hunting grounds as our own!"

Victorious yowls split the air of the dark forest, while the cold specks of light in the sky watched silently.

* * *

**So this should be enough info to keep me going on some vague sort of plotline. I really don't know what I'm going to do with this fic, but I'll figure it out along the way, I suppose. Oh, and the POVs are going to be Lionstar's kits, 'kay? As cliche as that is, I really have no other options on those unless I pop in an OC and that would be _extremely _cliche. ^.^**

**So...until we meet again~**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**


	2. Chapter 1

**Haha, I'm such a liar. I have to be perfectly honest that the reason I'm doing this is to practice for NaNoWriMo. ;) So be prepared for this fic to be over 100K and be finished in about two months. I'm going to have no liiiiife! XD**

**Reviewer answer thingies! **

**xXBloodpulseXx - Thanks! I wanted to have a really cool word that started with S to match the other two stories in this little trilogy o' mine, and it kinda popped into my head. ^.^' I think I know the way I'm gonna tie it in with the story, though. }:D (Cool new penname, btw!)**

**xxSnowfirexx - Thankies! I'm glad you like DoD! Me and Fwirl-kohai really turned that one around, eh? :P I tell ya, brainstorming is a wonderous thing. **

**Lightkit - You're so cool. You review _all _of my chapters. -hugs- And I didn't necessarily say that they would invade, did I~? -laughs evilly-**

**And onto the story/allegiances! I think these allegiances are really full, don't you? I might have to...er, _alleviate_ that problem, won't I? :D**

* * *

**Allegiances**

**Leader:**

Lionstar - golden tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Rainpaw_

**Deputy:**

Graystripe - long-haired gray tom

_Apprentice, Hollypaw_

**Medicine Cat:**

Leafpool - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Jayfeather_

**Warriors:**

Brightheart - white she-cat with ginger splashes

Ferncloud - pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

Cloudtail - long-haired white tom

Sorreltail - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Amberpaw_

Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Spiderleg - long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes

Birchfall - light brown tabby tom

Berrynose - cream-colored tom

_Apprentice, Redpaw_

Hazeltail - small gray-and-white she-cat

Mousewhisker - gray-and-white tom

Millie - striped gray tabby she-cat

Cinderheart - gray tabby she-cat

Poppyfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat

_Apprentice, Oakpaw_

Foxclaw - reddish tabby tom

Icepelt - white she-cat

Rosefall - dark cream she-cat

Briarpelt - dark brown she-cat

Bumblestripe - very pale gray tom with black stripes

Blossomfall - white she-cat with tortoiseshell patches

**Apprentices:**

Jayfeather - gray tabby tom

Oakpaw - ginger dappled tabby she-cat with white paws, green eyes

Rainpaw - long-haired gray tom with darker flecks, dark blue eyes

Amberpaw – pale cream she-cat, amber eyes

Hollypaw – long-haired gray she-cat, amber eyes

Redpaw – ginger tabby tom, blue eyes

**Queens:**

Daisy - cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace

Honeyfern - light brown tabby she-cat, mother of Berrynose's kits: Faintkit (pale brown she-cat), and Harekit (gray-brown tom)

**Elders:**

Longtail - pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Dustpelt - dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat

Brambleclaw - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, severely broken foreleg

Redpaw was curled into a small ball of ginger fur, his eyes closed as he breathed in the scents of his littermates, pressed close beside him. A cool breeze tugged at his fur, and he cringed away from it and into the warmth of his sister Amberpaw's warm flank. _Too early, _he complained internally, pressing his nose deeper into the thick fur of his tail as he tried to drift back off to sleep.

"Redpaw!"

Startled, he jerked his head up, looking around wildly. An amused purr alerted him to another cat's presence, one who's silhouette had blocked out the light coming in the apprentices' den. Scrambling to his feet, he quickly shook off the clinging stems of moss in embarrassment. "Sorry, Berrynose," he apologized to his mentor.

The cream tom's face was set sternly but his blue eyes were gleaming with humor. "I had to call you three times!" he exclaimed. "It's time for the dawn patrol!"

Redpaw let out a gasp. It couldn't be that early already! Stepping carefully, he managed to avoid squashing Hollypaw's fluffy tail as he made his way to the front of the den, stepping out into the bright, cold sun of late leaf-fall.

"We've already kept Lionstar waiting," Berrynose informed him as they made their way to the thorn entrance tunnel.

"Lionstar's going?" Redpaw asked, confused on why his father would feel the need to make it onto the earliest patrols.

Berrynose's eyes were clouded with anger. "It seems like WindClan's been scent-marking on our territory again. With this weather, though, who could blame them?" He gestured up at the thickly-clouded sky.

Redpaw's eyes widened. "Will it snow?" he asked in awe, thinking of the stories that Sandstorm told him and his littermates about the icy coldness that came when the sky turned so dark like this.

"Not yet. It's still leaf-fall, after all." But Berrynose's voice betrayed more worry than he admitted.

Redpaw greeted Lionstar happily as they began to head over to the WindClan border. Rainpaw, an older and rather more serious apprentice, padded along his side silently, his dark eyes clouded with thought. Redpaw always loved to torment the older apprentice, seeing how long it took before his careful mask was broken through.

"Hi, Rainpaw!" he mewed cheerfully, moving over to walk next to the gray tom. "Are you excited to be on this patrol?"

"Yes," Rainpaw answered slowly. "It's very important to guard our borders from enemies willing to take more than they deserve."

Redpaw frowned. _Why is he always so stiff? _he wondered. _It can't be because of Lionstar...maybe he's just really serious. _"Do you think we'll run into WindClan?" he asked in a low voice, looking at Berrynose and Lionstar walking ahead, their gazes fixed on the path in front of them.

Rainpaw looked down at him in surprise. "Why should we? If they know the warrior code, they won't pass by it."

"Oh. But haven't they passed it before?"

"Only when Hollystar was still our leader," Rainpaw answered. "Since that time—it must have been almost three seasons ago now—no cat has trespassed on another's territory. We've had peace for a long time now; since I've been an apprentice, there hasn't been any issues."

"Do you remember Hollystar?"

Rainpaw frowned, squinting his eyes. "A little bit," he admitted. "Barely anything, though...but I do remember her death. She tried to unite the Clans but it failed miserably. Now all the Clans are grateful to Lionstar for...er, getting rid of her."

Shivering, Redpaw pressed closer to Rainpaw, wanting to know more about his father's sister. From the stories that Sandstorm and Dustpelt told him, Redpaw knew that she had been a tyrant, a cat to be feared by all during her reign over the Clans, but for some reason, Lionstar and Jayfeather refused to talk about their sister. Redpaw had pestered his father for information until he had finally told him only one thing: "She was a brave cat and deserves respect for her leadership."

_But why would she deserve respect if she was a tyrant? Why would Lionstar and Jayfeather still think she was brave if she tried to take over the forest and all the Clans? Does that show bravery? _Redpaw's mind buzzed with questions, but he knew better than to try and go to Jayfeather for help: the prickly medicine cat apprentice would box his ears is he annoyed him too much.

"Hurry up, you two." Berrynose flipped his head over his shoulder to glare at the apprentices. "You're holding us up."

"Sorry, Berrynose," Rainpaw apologized immediately, scurrying forward to pad beside Lionstar.

Redpaw let out a soft laugh at the older apprentice's placating attitude as he quickened his own steps to walk next to Berrynose. _He sure wants to please everyone, doesn't he? _Redpaw looked from his father's face down to Rainpaw's and suddenly got it: Rainpaw wanted to be like Lionstar. Twisting his head to look at his own mentor, Redpaw tilted his head to one side. _Should I do that, too? Is that what Berrynose expects of me? _

He was just in the process of trying to hold his chin up when a yowl sounded across the WindClan border. Giving up on his struggles, Redpaw glanced eagerly across the small stream that separated the two Clans, seeing a small party of only three cats trot right up to the edge of the stream.

"Greetings, Lionstar!" one, a gray she-cat called.

Lionstar stepped forward. "Greetings, Ashfoot. We're simply checking this border. I've received word that a WindClan cat was caught on this side of the border." His tone was still conversational, but Redpaw could see a hard glint in his father's eyes.

Ashfoot's eyes narrowed. "An apprentice's mistake, that's all. She has been punished." She turned to quickly glare down at a white-speckled brown tabby at her side. The she-cat—surely the apprentice in question—glared back at her with a fierce gaze.

"It wasn't my fault," she growled. "I didn't know it was the border. There wasn't any smell of ThunderClan!"

"Silence, Splashpaw," the other WindClan cat—a golden tom—hissed irritably. "Don't argue with the deputy."

_Deputy, huh? _Redpaw looked more critically at the she-cat, seeing how flecks of white were sprinkled around her muzzle. _Not for long, looks like. _

Splashpaw narrowed her eyes furiously. Redpaw was startled to see the color of them—a strange hazy pinkish-blue. "Sorry," she spit out, sounding anything but sorry.

Ashfoot sighed tightly, turning to Lionstar. "I'm sorry, Lionstar. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Of course," Lionstar said lightly, already turning away. "See you at the next Gathering!"

The WindClan deputy mewed a quick goodbye, already turning to the apprentice to repremand her.

Redpaw tilted his head as he flipped his head over his shoulder, watching the apprentice—Splashpaw, he reminded himself—argue with her deputy, her eyes flashing angrily.

"Watch out," Rainpaw mewed quietly, startling Redpaw out of his musing. "There's plenty of she-cats in our Clan for you."

Redpaw's jaws gaped. "What?!" he demanded. "I was just looking!"

Rainpaw's blue eyes were strangely smug. "Gotcha," he chuckled softly. "Looks like your own tactics work against you, too, isn't that so?"

Redpaw ground his teeth together, cursing himself for being so jumpy. "Whatever," he growled, looking away. "I'll just get you back later."

Rainpaw laughed. "Sure, of course you will," he said patronizingly, speeding up to walk next to Lionstar again.

Hissing under his breath, Redpaw dashed after him as the patrol disappeared into the undergrowth.

- - -

"You're finally back, huh?" Hollypaw yawned widely as Redpaw padded up, three mice dangling from his jaws. "Took you long enough."

"Nice catch," Amberpaw praised, her dark eyes glowing. "You did a great job!"

Redpaw dropped the mice at his sister's paws. "I got enough for each of us," he mewed, curling his tail over his back. "You should have seen Berrynose's face when I caught them. I caught two at once!" Settling down, he pulled one of the mice towards him and took a big bite. "I'm such a great hunter."

"Not as good as me," Hollypaw argued at once. "I caught a squirrel the other day."

Redpaw scoffed, his mouth still full of mouse. "Two mice are better than one squirrel," he retorted.

"Since when?" she demanded. "I had to climb a tree! You probably just got lucky—they were probably asleep!"

"Please," Amberpaw cut in. "Let's not fight, okay? Redpaw, what did you see on the patrol?"

Glaring at Hollypaw, he answered, "Nothing much. Although we did find out who was on our border. It was just an apprentice."

"Oh, well that's good." Amberpaw took a dainty bite of her mouse. "If it was anything worse than that, though, you could have handled yourself, I bet!"

"Of course!" He puffed out his chest. "I'm going to be a warrior to rival Lionstar!"

Hollypaw sighed loudly. "Then I'll always be there to be an even better warrior," she said mischievously, her amber eyes narrowed and her fluffy gray pelt askew like always. "Putting you in your place."

"As if," he snorted. "Let's see you try right now!" Without warning, he launched himself at his sister, bowling her off her paws with a startled squeak. He pummeled her belly with his hind paws as they rolled over and over again, right into the dozing flank of Foxclaw.

"Hey!" the reddish tabby tom protested sleepily. "Watch it!"

"That's enough, you two." Amberpaw stepped forward, grabbing Redpaw's scruff in her teeth. "You're being pests."

"You're such a killjoy, Amberpaw," he snapped, paws churning in the air as his bigger sister held him up. "Put me down! I'm not a kit."

"Well, you're acting like one." She dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. "Sorry, Foxclaw," she apologized, turning to the warrior. "They were being idiots again."

"Hey!" Hollypaw protested immediately, her amber eyes furious.

Foxclaw's green eyes gleamed with humor. "It's fine. I'm not supposed to be sleeping anyway," he admitted.

"Well, you work hard," Amberpaw mewed softly. "You deserve some rest."

Redpaw rolled his eyes. As if his sister could be more blatantly obvious that she was padding after Foxclaw.

But the reddish tom only purred. "Thanks, Amberpaw. How's your training going? You've only been apprentices for..."

"Two moons," Hollypaw put in, looking bored. "And Graystripe _still _hasn't taken me to see the WindClan border yet." She glared half-heartedly at Redpaw, and he twitched his whiskers at her.

"I've gone to see it twice," Redpaw said triumphantly.

"Yeah, but you haven't been to a Gathering."

"Only because I sprained my paw!"

"Excuses, excuses, little brother!"

"Don't call me that!" Redpaw flattened his ears. Why did Hollypaw _always _have to do this?! Why did she think she was better than him? Just because he was the smallest of the litter didn't mean he was the weakest!

"Shut up!" Amberpaw's eyes flared.

"It's fine, it's fine." Foxclaw waved a paw tiredly. "Icepelt and I used to argue all the time. It's just sibling rivalry."

Redpaw curled his lip before stomping away. _Hollypaw thinks she's so great just because she's bigger than me! _he raged. _I'm going to be a better warrior than her, no matter what any cat says!_

"Whoa, little one!"

"Don't call me small!" he snapped, wheeling around angrily with his claws already unsheathed.

Cinderheart was watching him, her blue eyes filled with amusement. "Are you going to attack me, Redpaw?"

Sheathing his claws, his ears burning with embarrassment, Redpaw padded up to his mother. "Sorry," he mewed.

Cinderheart just looked at him with soft eyes, giving him a quick lick over the ears. "Don't be like that," she scolded him gently. "Hollypaw doesn't mean what she says. You know that."

"But she does." Redpaw let his mother press against his flank, thankful for her warm presence. "She thinks she's better than me, but she's not. Not at all."

"Well, I don't think that's it at all."

Redpaw looked up at his mother curiously. "What?"

"She's jealous of you so she tries to show you up." Cinderheart purred. "And I think you're a little envious of her, too."

Redpaw hissed. "Not at all!"

Cinderheart laughed again, getting up and flicking him over the ears with her tail. "I have to go on a hunting patrol—think about what I said until then, alright?"

He bristled and look away. "Sure."

Cinderheart licked him across the forehead before standing up, stretching, and padding away to twine tails with Lionstar. The two of them padded out into the forest with their heads close together.

Redpaw sat down hard, his head spinning with anger. "Why does she think I'm jealous of Hollypaw?" he wondered aloud.

"That's what all mothers say." Bumblestripe padded up next to him, a mouse dangling from his jaws. "Wanna share?"

"No, I already ate." But Redpaw padded next to the warrior and settled down next to him, staring off into space as his friend ate his meal. "Were you on the border patrol for ShadowClan?"

"Yeah," the gray tabby mumbled through a full mouth. "Nothing at all. I swear," he mewed, swallowing, "it's so boring with all this peace. I'm itching for a battle."

"But aren't battles a bad thing?" Redpaw asked, flicking the tail of Bumblestripe's mouse distractedly.

"Not if you're the one in them ripping fur." His amber eyes gleamed. "I've only been in one—when I was an apprentice, we fought in a battle against RiverClan. I only got a few blows in when I was delivering a message." He sounded disappointed.

"Tough luck," Redpaw mewed. "I've only learned a few battle moves from Berrynose. All I've been doing is hunting, hunting, hunting. I never knew it could be so boring." He sighed, laying his head down on his paws.

"There won't be any for a while," Bumblestripe sighed as well. "All we talk about at Gatherings now is how prey is plentiful and how many new kits are born. Speaking of, have you seen how big Honeyfern's kits have gotten? They're your kin, right?"

"Yeah," Redpaw mewed cheerfully. "My mother's sister's kits."

"You should go visit them since all you're doing now is sitting around and whining." Bumblestripe flicked his tail down his friend's back to take the sting out of his words. "I'm sure it'll make them happy."

"Good idea." It had been a few days since he'd seen them, and he always liked to show off his battle moves to his littlest kin. "See you later."

"Later," Bumblestripe mumbled through a mouthful of mouse.

Redpaw padded over to the nursery, looking around at the hollow as he did. Graystripe was organizing a hunting patrol, and Spiderleg and Hazeltail had already gathered around him. The elders—Sandstorm, Dustpelt, and Longtail—were nestled into a small spot of sun, the only warmth in the clearing. Oakpaw padded by him next to her mentor Poppyfrost, her green eyes wide as the tortoiseshell she-cat explained some hunting technique to her.

"Redpaw!" A pale brown she-kit came hurtling out of the nursery, wrapping herself around Redpaw's white paws. "You came to see us!"

"I always come and see you, Faintkit," Redpaw purred good-naturedly.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up at last." A grayish-brown tom kit picked his way more delicately out of the den, his blue eyes critical.

"Don't be such a grouch, Harekit," Faintkit scolded her brother. "Redpaw's always a bunch of fun!"

Harekit lifted his chin. "I suppose."

"Are you going to tell us stories about the forest, Redpaw?" Faintkit's green eyes were full of excitement.

"Or show us some battle moves?" Harekit suggested, creeping closer despite himself.

"I could show you the hunting crouch again," Redpaw suggested.

"Bo-ring," Harekit grumbled. "Why don't you show us something better?"

"The hunting crouch is very important!" Faintkit protested, reminding Redpaw strongly of his sister Amberpaw. "Feeding the Clan is in the warrior code!"

"It shouldn't need to be: it's common sense. Why do we need a code to tell us we need to eat?" Harekit asked loftily. "Does it tell us to drink water, too?"

Redpaw settled down, rolling his eyes at this little kit's cynicism. "The warrior code tells us how to live our lives, Harekit," he explained. "How to be good warriors for the Clan."

"Good warriors need to have sharp claws. That's all I need to know."

Faintkit frowned at him. "That's a load of mousedung," she growled at him. "You have to know all the other stuff, too."

"Whatever." Harekit yawned widely. "All I'm saying is that ThunderClan's safety should come first."

"You two don't need to worry about any of that for another few moons," Redpaw put in. "You're still kits."

"Only for a few more moons!" Faintkit announced happily. "Then we'll be apprentices! Maybe you can be one of our mentors, Redpaw!"

He laughed. "I won't be a warrior by then."

"You could be if you proved yourself, right?" Harekit asked. "Mother says that a few cats got their name early for bravery."

"She was talking about LionClan, though!" Faintkit argued. "They aren't around anymore. Only the four Clans are here now, and they'll always be here. Right, Redpaw?" She turned her bright gaze up at him.

Redpaw purred and cuffed her gently across the ears. "Of course, Faintkit," he meowed. "Lionstar will make sure that we're safe and sound."

Harekit sighed and flopped on the ground. "I wish I was a warrior. I'll be a great warrior."

Redpaw turned his gaze away, thinking of Hollypaw, and muttered under his breath, "So will I. So will I."

* * *

**Redpaw came out more like Lionblaze than I intended, huh? Weird. But next up is Amberpaw, since I kinda made her look like a Sue in this chapter, and she's really not. At least, I don't want her to be. :P**

**R&R~ **

**Shadow**


	3. Chapter 2

**So it looks like I'mma be updating everyday now. ^.^' I'm such a nerd. :P**

**There really isn't a lot of action so far, and this is kinda filler chapter, but there will be action soon! Promise! I already have a few cats on my hitlist. :D**

**Lightkit - But still, thanks, and I think the word you're looking for is "obnoxious." :D**

**xXBloodpulseXx - Oh, good good! I'm glad you think so; I was worried he'd be a Lionblaze clone. ^.^' Redmoon is a totally epic name, true enough, but I already have all their warrior names picked out. }:D It's cool to get reviews from such good writers, Leo-shi. -bows- :P**

**Skyst - Thankies! And here it is! XD**

**Fwirl - Oh, I have plans for Harekit, my kohai. }:D And I think it's totally cool that online I can use all the honorifics I like and not look like a weirdo. :P**

* * *

Amberpaw sighed. "They're at it again," she said to herself, seeing her siblings bickering in the corner of the camp. "Can't we just continue with the game?"

"Not until he admits that I beat him!" Hollypaw snarled. "You were pinned for three heartbeats—that was the rule."

"I was not!" Redpaw protested, flattening his ears. "You didn't even have a firm hold on me!"

"Well it's difficult," Hollypaw crowed. "You're such a small target!"

"Don't call me small!" Redpaw lashed at his sister with unsheathed claws, swiping through the thick fur of her neck harmlessly.

"Come on already!" Amberpaw shouldered them apart, feeling like the moss in a kits' game of Tug. "This is enough! It's a draw already."

"No it's not!" Hollypaw hissed. "I won!"

"Cheater!" Redpaw yowled.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Shut up!" Amberpaw growled. "StarClan! How about we have another game, already?"

"Like what?" Redpaw grumbled, sitting down hard. "There isn't anything to do. It's not like we're patrolling our borders or fighting the other Clans or anything..."

"I have an idea." Hollypaw's amber eyes were shining. "Let's have a race."

"A race?" Amberpaw repeated in confusion. "To where?"

"Yeah, a race!" Redpaw got to his paws, pacing back and forth in the small mossy hollow. "How about...the first one to the ShadowClan border wins?"

"Let's make it more interesting," Hollypaw mewed, her eyes narrowed. "First one to catch a piece of _prey_ on ShadowClan territory wins."

Redpaw's eyes brightened with excitement. "Deal."

"What? No deal!" Amberpaw protested. "We can't do that!"

"Don't be such a mouse-heart, Amberpaw," Hollypaw mewed dismissively. "It's not like we'll get caught—no Clans patrol their borders anyway."

"But it's not our prey _or _our territory! We'll get in so much trouble."

"Well, don't play, then. Me and Redpaw will race. Unless you want to back out, too, little brother."

Redpaw gritted his teeth audibly. "I'm not scared," he snapped. "And don't call me little! I can beat you in any race! I'll run circles around you!"

"Only because of those short little legs of yours," she wheedled. "You can scoot right through the undergrowth."

"How about I make your legs to match?" Redpaw threatened.

_Oh, for StarClan's sake! _Why did she have to get stuck with such competitive littermates? "Can you two just put a mouse in it? Seriously, you're getting on my nerves. Imagine what Lionstar would say if he caught us." Already she could picture her father's angry face, his amber eyes like fire as he faced down his three kits. She shivered.

"Well, we won't get caught," Hollypaw said breezily. "Besides, haven't you always wanted to catch a shrew? I've heard they taste great, and they only live near the ShadowClan border."

"Not really," she admitted. "There's plenty of prey around anyway."

"You must not have been hunting recently," Redpaw argued. "With the ground getting so cold, all the prey's hiding in their burrows."

"So it would be a good thing to go and get some more prey," Hollypaw put in, her eyes glittering.

Amberpaw gasped, unsure of what to do when her littermates were teamed up like this. "We can't trespass! That's in the code—"

"Who cares about the code," Hollypaw snorted. "This will be fun _and _dangerous! It'll be great!"

Amberpaw looked at her sister like she was insane. _Which she probably is, _she thought, before shaking her head. "I can't let you do this."  
"You're no fun at all," Redpaw mewed crossly. "Why can't you go along with our plans for once?"

"I did!" Amberpaw protested. "I played this fighting game with you."

"No you didn't; you were the judge."

"Please," Amberpaw begged. "I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Then why don't you be our lookout?" Hollypaw suggested. "Since you obviously don't want to have some fun. You'd rather be as boring as Rainpaw."

"All stiff and serious," Redpaw added, his whiskers twitching.

"Isn't that right?" Hollypaw turned back to her sister, her eyes triumphant, knowing that any heartbeat now Amberpaw would give in.

Sure enough, she sighed. "I can't let you go unsupervised..."

"Yes!" Redpaw whirled around in a circle. "It'll be a lot more fun with you playing!"

Amberpaw sighed minutely. "Let's just get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Hollypaw, not to be discouraged when a chance to do something she knew she wasn't supposed to do, unsheathed her claws and sank them into the ground, ripping up a pawful of dead grass. "Where should we start this?"

Redpaw turned and padded up to a dead oak, his ginger tabby fur sticking out like a splash of blood against the gray bark. He unsheathed his claws and raked them through the soft soil, marking out a crude line. "How about here? You have to bring back a piece of ShadowClan prey—no cheating."

"Of course not!" Hollypaw sounded offended.

Amberpaw padded dutifully to stand next to her siblings, leaning down into a crouch with them as she waited for Hollypaw to give the start.

"On your mark," Hollypaw meowed, her gray fur sticking in all directions, "get set..._go!_"

Amberpaw launched herself forward, already behind Hollypaw. Her pale paws pounding the soil, she tried to get a firmer hold on the ground, remembering what Sorreltail had told her about running. _You have to get a good grip on the soil, _the tortoiseshell she-cat had told her. _Make sure that you use anything around you as an advantage, but always keep your eyes on the path ahead. _

As a log came into view, Amberpaw looked over at her sister, yowling, "I'm going to beat you!"

As she had guessed, Hollypaw turned to glare at her. "Not likely!" But she had taken her eyes off the ground and misjudged her leap, catching her paw on a protruding branch and losing her balance, letting out a startled screech as her long fur caught in the prickly leaves. "Cheat!" she howled as Amberpaw leapt cleanly over the log.

"Not really!" she called over her shoulder, snickering to herself that she had gotten some ground. Looking around as she dashed through the sun-dappled forest, she couldn't tell where Redpaw was. _With all these colored leaves, his pelt will blend in easier, _she realized.

With a rush of air and a yowl of fright, Amberpaw was shunted to the side, nearly careening into a tree on her side. Fishtailing sideways before catching her balance, she saw her brother running so quickly in front of her, he looked like a bird in flight.

He glanced over his shoulder, his fur slicked back by the wind, and twitched his whiskers at her, laughing. "Gotcha!"

Amberpaw grimaced. Bracing herself against a rock, she launched herself ahead, using her heavier weight to propel herself forward. Laughing to herself and at the fun of the race, she barely noticed the scent of ShadowClan before she was already in the pines, her nose to the ground, sniffing out the scents of prey.

Redpaw dashed by her on the other side, his eyes furrowed in concentration.

Turning away, Amberpaw pressed her pink nose into the sparse undergrowth beneath a cluster of pine trees, breathing deeply. A rustling caught her attention, and she turned, her body already half-dropping into a hunting crouch.

A tiny nose was poking out of a pile of sharply-scented needles.

Drawing her tongue across her lips, Amberpaw took a step forward as the shrew stepped out of the needles, its pointed face complete with tiny features and glittering black eyes. It had no idea that she was even there. _Easy catch. _

Suddenly a rush of gray shot past her, leaping onto the shrew and killing it with a well-aimed bite to the back of the neck.

"That was my kill!" Amberpaw hissed at Hollypaw, who had the shrew in her jaws already, her eyes glittering. "Cheat!"

"Not really," she sneered cheekily around the mouthful.

"You already caught one?" Redpaw pulled himself around the edge of the trees. "No way! You must have cheated."

Hollypaw dropped the prey at her paws. "Of course not!" she snapped. "I caught it fair and square right under the nose of Amberpaw!"

"Shut up!" Amberpaw hissed. "ShadowClan cats will hear us!"

"Yeah right," Hollypaw scoffed. "They're too stupid to see past their own whiskers."

"And they smell really strong." Redpaw wrinkled his nose. "It's probably because they spend so much time lurking in badger holes."

"Or because they don't know how to clean themselves!" Hollypaw laughed.

"Or maybe," came a cold voice from behind them, "it's because they spend so much time keeping nosy ThunderClan apprentices out of their territory."

With a thrill of terror, Amberpaw turned around to see a full ShadowClan patrol, lead by a bristling golden tom. Amberpaw's jaws gaped, and it felt like she couldn't breathe. She saw Hollypaw gently push the shrew behind her paw.

This unfortunately didn't escape the notice of the patrol. "Prey thieves!" a dark gray tom hissed. "Tigerheart—"

"I see it," the golden tom mewed, but he wasn't looking at the shrew—he was looking at Redpaw.

The ginger tom fidgeted nervously, and Amberpaw pushed him behind her with a hind paw. "What?" she demanded. "He didn't steal the shrew."

The tom—Tigerheart—didn't say anything.

The dark gray tom looked at him incredulously. "Aren't we going to fight them off?" he hissed.

"Prey thieves," the other, a shockingly pale tabby tom, only apprentice age, added in a sibilant whisper.

"As if they can attack." A gray she-cat rolled her eyes. "Look at them! They can't be very experienced apprentices."

"We're plenty experienced," Hollypaw said hotly, but Amberpaw hissed at her furiously.

"Don't say a word," she snapped.

Tigerheart took a step closer, still looking curiously at Redpaw.

Amberpaw pressed her brother closer to her side, still standing in front of him. "What's your problem?" she snarled. "Leave my brother alone."

"Brother?" Tigerheart looked surprised. "You're littermates?"

"What about it?" Hollypaw hissed. "Leave Redpaw alone!"

"Hollypaw," Amberpaw warned.

Tigerheart's eyes flickered. "Hollypaw... You're Lionstar's kits, aren't you?" He didn't make it sound like a question—more like a statement of fact.

The gray she-cat watched with guarded green eyes. "Tigerheart..."

"I know, Dawnfeather." Tigerheart stepped back into his patrol. "We'll let you off with a warning this time."

The dark gray tom looked furious. "They stole our prey! Are you going to let them get away with that?"

"Rowanstar put me in charge of this patrol, Scorchblaze!" Tigerheart snapped. "Not you. I'll decide what we do and when."

The apprentice scoffed, his eyes raking over the group of apprentices, his icy eyes harsh. Amberpaw felt a fierce dislike for him that she couldn't quite describe. "Showing true to your kin in ThunderClan, Tigerheart? Typical ThunderClan worshipper."

Dawnfeather hissed. "Hold your tongue, Windpaw, or I'll have to teach you some manners. No apprentice of mine is going to speak like this to an older warrior."

The tabby apprentice narrowed pale blue eyes and looked away. "I apologize, Tigerheart," he said, sounding contrite. "I was out of line."

Tigerheart's eyes cleared. "It's alright, Windpaw." Turning to the three apprentices, he nodded. "You three better get gone. Don't let me catch you on ShadowClan territory again, or you'll be sorry."

Amberpaw gulped, feeling Hollypaw press against her, trying to make herself look small. "W-we will. Thank you, T-Tigerheart."

The golden tom dipped his head, flicking his tail to the patrol. "We'll escort you to the border," he mewed coolly. "Hopefully ThunderClan isn't so desperate to think they can take some of our territory." His eyes were hard.

"Of course not," Hollypaw growled.

"We don't need any puny shrews," Redpaw added in a harsh voice.

The apprentice, Windpaw, laughed loudly. "Yes, you'd rather have some bitter squirrel meat instead?"

Amberpaw's fur bristled along her spine. _He's more annoying than Redpaw and Hollypaw combined. _"Sure, whatever," she grumbled under her breath.

With a swagger in his step, Windpaw quickened his steps to walk at the head of the patrol, his tail in the air. "What are we going to tell Rowanstar?" he asked loudly. "Surely we aren't going to leave this a secret?"

"And why not?" Dawnfeather snapped. "These kits didn't even do anything but kill one shrew. Now we can take it back for the queens. Maybe for your mother, Windpaw—isn't she expecting more kits?"

Windpaw's expression soured strangely. "Yeah," he grumbled. "She is."

Amberpaw snuck a glanceat the snow-pale tabby apprentice. His eyes were distant and cold. _I wonder what he's thinking? _Scoffing, she added, _As if I care. _

"Here's the border," Scorchblaze announced, turning to lash his tail towards a dead ash tree. "Make sure you know it. We won't give you mercy next time." He shot an irritated glance at Tigerheart, but the golden tom simply ignored it.

"Tell Lionstar that Tigerheart said hello." His words were friendly, but the expression on his face made Amberpaw's pelt crawl.

"I...I will," she stuttered.

The ShadowClan warrior nodded, before turning and walking away without another word. Scorchblaze and Dawnfeather followed him dutifully, but Windpaw trailed along behind them, his eyes fixed on the three littermates.

"Make sure you watch yourselves," he growled. "Tigerheart might let you get away with crossing the border, but the rest of us won't." He unsheathed his claws into the ground. "Especially not me. I'm going to be the leader of ShadowClan one day, and that will be the same day that we regain the fear we used to command from the other Clans."

"Windpaw!" Dawnfeather's irritated voice came drifting along the cold breeze.

"Coming," he called without looking away from them. "Remember my words, ThunderClan rats." With one last cool glance at Amberpaw, he spun around and disappeared after his Clanmates.

Amberpaw felt like her paws were frozen to the ground.

"Well, that was lucky." Hollypaw pulled ahead, her easy confidence back already. "I wonder why Tigerheart was so surprised we were Lionstar's kin?"

"He was especially looking at me," Redpaw mewed shakily, still pressed close to Amberpaw. "Do I look that much like Lionstar?"

"His pelt is much more golden than yours," Amberpaw pointed out, brushing her tail down his back. "Maybe it was your face or something."

"It couldn't be your size," Hollypaw teased. "You're shrew-sized next to him!"

"Take it back!" Redpaw hissed, already seeming to forget they were a mousetail from a battle—not to mention the fact they could have started a Clan war.

"I never even got to taste shrew," Hollypaw sighed mournfully. "I was really looking forward to that."

"Yeah," Redpaw agreed, for once on the same side as his sister. "But that apprentice was a weirdo, huh? His eyes were scary!"

"All pale and weird," Hollypaw put in. "And he was white with gray tabby stripes! How often does that happen? I've never seen a cat with that color pelt."

"Maybe his mother or father has the same color," Amberpaw suggested, the image of his angry face in her mind. Why did he seem to be so furious about ThunderClan?

"Who cares," Redpaw complained. "Let's get back home before my paws drop off from all this cold. After all, I made it to the border first, so I was the winner."

"What?! But I caught the first prey! That makes _me _the winner!" Hollypaw hissed.

"No way in StarClan!" Redpaw lashed his tail. "I'm the one who was the fastest and it was a race. That makes me the winner."

"Does it really matter?" Amberpaw tried to say, but was instantly cut off by her bickering littermates. Sighing, she bent her head and padded after them, glad that they seemed to have been caught by the only nice ShadowClan cats in the whole Clan.

* * *

**Not bad, eh? I really like Windpaw, even though I had a lot of trouble naming him. He started off as Leopardpaw, then I changed it to Fleetpaw and then again to Frostpaw, but that's such a cliche name for a pale-colored cat. So he became Windpaw. And please, before someone points it out, I would like to open a copy of Bluestar's Prophecy and show everyone the name Windflight. So, Wind- is a canon name. :D Just sayin'. ;)**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	4. Chapter 3

**There have been many irritating issues with this chapter, lemme tell you. Firstly, I wrote six pages of it and was all happy and proud of it so I saved it in my normal folder, right? Then I went and nommed a granola bar, happily watching the Wizards of Waverly Place Move (much better than I ever expected, btw). When I returned and went to open the folder, intent on publishing it to FFnet, it was all in ASCII!!!!!! T-T **

**(For those of you who don't know what ASCII is, it's like writing the sentence "I hate Twilight with the burning passion of a thousand dying suns" and it coming out like "#############################################################." Yeah.)**

**Anyway...now this chapter is two pages shorter and considerably crappier. I'm sorry. D: -is depressed-**

**Read on, plz. -cries-**

* * *

Hollypaw lay on her back in the middle of the camp, letting the weak sunlight filtering down through the trees warm the soft gray fur of her belly. Sighing loudly, she flipped right-side up, seeking out something to entertain herself with. _I'm bored, _she complained to herself, wishing that she was battle training with Redpaw and Amberpaw, but Graystripe had to go to RiverClan as an escort with Leafpool and Hazeltail. The medicine cat had said something about needing to get some catmint from the fish-scented warriors, but that didn't seem a likely possibility to Hollypaw. No one in the Clan even looked sick—not even the elders.

_Maybe I'll get them to tell me a story, _she thought, glancing towards them hopefully. Sandstorm was dozing peacefully in a patch of sun, her sides rising and falling evenly. Dustpelt was nowhere to be seen, and Longtail's pale pelt was just visible against the dead fronds of the elders' den. _Sandstorm might not be the best choice, _she mused, remembering the last time she had woken the elderly she-cat up from her nap. She doubted that even StarClan had as much wrath.

A shuffly crash and a sharp curse made Hollypaw spin around, her ears pricked as the bramble screen in front of the medicine den shifted. She felt a rush of fiendish glee. _That'll do it. _

Padding over to the den with her tail in the air, she pushed aside the prickly thorns and peered inside. Jayfeather was standing in the middle of the den, his pelt dusted with a fine layer of bark scrapes and leaves, his whiskers twitching as he fought off a sneeze. "StarClan," he grumbled, sweeping the herbs into a messy pile, his tail lashing irritably.

Hollypaw had been told the story on how Jayfeather used to be blind by the elders many times over. Somehow, the gray tabby tom had gotten his sight back by some act of StarClan.

_"How can you see now?" she had asked him when she was little more than a kit. _

_"I ate some herbs, Hollykit." Jayfeather's voice had been decidedly patient._

_"So why can't you give them to Longtail? He's blind, too."_

_"Because they wouldn't work with him."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because they wouldn't."_

_"But _why_?"_

_He had sank his claws angrily into the ground. "Because they just _wouldn't_," he snapped. "Now leave me alone before I make you take some mouse bile to the elders' den."_

That had definitely shut her up, and Hollypaw hadn't asked again since that day. "Hi, Jayfeather!" she mewed cheerfully, stepping inside the den.

He looked up with annoyed blue eyes. "Hello, Hollypaw," he responded. "What do you want?"

"Just to see what you were doing." She settled down on her belly, her eyes fixed on the herbs. "What are you doing?"

"Sorting herbs," he mewed roughly, turning back to the pile and beginning to pluck leaves out of it, looking at each one critically before placing it back on the ground.

"Why?"

"Because some of them are spoiled, and they could make cats sick if they ate them."

"Why?"

He sighed minutely. "Because they would."

"But _why?_"

"Because they just would!" he snapped, looking angry.

Hollypaw's whiskers twitched with satisfaction. "Can I help?"

He blinked. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Hollypaw shrugged. "I'm bored."

"Why don't you go hunting or something?" he suggested irritably. "So you can stop bothering me."

"I want to help!" She leapt forward, her tail swishing behind her.

"Fine, fine." He divided the pile easily, pushing one section over to her. "Pick out the ones with spots."

"Like this?" She held up a rather ragged-looking leaf.

Peering closely at it, he nodded. "Yeah. Put them in this pile." He tapped the ground between them where a few shreds of leaf already lay.

"Okay!" She began to shuffle through the leaves, separating them as best as she could. "Jayfeather?" she mewed after a while.

"What is it?"

"What was Firestar like? You knew him, right? He's our kin."

"He was a good leader," Jayfeather answered, raking his claws down a strip of bark, splintering it into fragments distractedly. "He lead the Clan well for all the while he was leader. Because of him, ThunderClan made it all the way to this new territory in one piece."

"Did he really have a pelt like fire?"

Jayfeather scoffed, scooping the bark scraps into the pile. "Obviously. He didn't get that name because he was gray, you know."

"I know that," she snapped. "I wasn't asking that."

"Yes, then," he snapped back. "His pelt was like fire."

Hollypaw flicked her tail behind her, starting to lose interest in this game. Jayfeather was too prickly some times.

"Are you curious because you want to be leader?" He sounded amused.

"No," she mewed loftily. "I don't want to be leader."

He looked shocked—more shocked that the situation called for, in Hollypaw's opinion. "You don't, huh? I thought all apprentices wanted to be leader."

"Nah." She tore a leaf into ribbons. "Too much responsibility and hard-thinking. I just want to have fun."

"You need some responsibility," Jayfeather argued. "Otherwise you'll end up as a burden to the Clan."

She scoffed, flinging the leaf at his paws. "Whatever! I'm not a burden to anyone, and I'm going to be a great warrior! Just like Hollystar." She narrowed her eyes to watch his reaction with shrewd eyes.

Jayfeather froze for a heartbeat, then continued on as if nothing had happened, but Hollypaw saw his eyes flash. "If you work hard at it," he mewed finally.

Hollypaw went back to her work, disappointed in his reaction. "Do you get signs from StarClan?"

Jayfeather's eyes snapped up suspiciously. "Yes, that's part of being a medicine cat."

"Does the leader get them, too?"

"You know he does, Hollypaw. Why are you being so annoying on purpose?"

"I'm not annoying!" She glared at her father's brother. "I'm just curious."

"Curiosity is going to get your whiskers pulled one day," he growled, but his eyes were gleaming. "And it might get them pulled today if you keep it up. I'm trying to work."

"Sorry, Jayfeather." She paused for a moment. "Do you get signs from StarClan often?"

"Occasionally."

"Have you gotten one recently?"

"Why does that matter?" But his voice was cautious.

"Leafpool told me that she gets signs from dead leaders." Hollypaw knew she was setting paw into bad territory, but she needed to know. "Do you get them from Hollystar?"

He stood up abruptly, sending his pile scattering. "Why do you want to know?" he demanded. "Medicine cats aren't supposed to reveal their dreams, Hollypaw, and you know it!" He raked his claws through her sorted pile, drawing it into his own, then bent his head and plucked up the herbs, leaving without a second glance.

Hollypaw could only sit there, stunned. Every other time she had pestered Jayfeather, he hadn't risen to her jibes. What had changed this time? _Maybe he _did _have a dream from StarClan! Maybe it was from Hollystar!_

She poked her head out of the den and watched as the medicine cat apprentice vanished out of the entrance tunnel, his pelt bristling with irritation.

"You really yanked his tail, didn't you?" Redpaw padded up, his pelt full of moss and his whiskers twitching. "What did you do to make him so angry?"

"I asked about Hollystar." She was still thinking hard, her thoughts consumed with the image of Jayfeather's furious eyes.

"And it made him that angry?" Redpaw shook his head. "You shouldn't bother him, Hollypaw. He's already grumpy as it is."

Hollypaw sighed, moving over to begin to groom the scraps of moss out of his pelt distractedly. "You're right, I guess. How did training go?"  
"Fine. Berrynose says I'm going to be a great warrior with my quickness." He puffed his chest out proudly.

Hollypaw laughed. "Not as good as me," she mewed breezily. "I'll always be better than you."

He pulled back immediately, his blue eyes angry. "No you won't," he raged. "And you aren't."

"Are you sure, little mouse?"

"I told you not to call me that!" He dropped into a crouch, his claws unsheathed. "Let's settle this right now! Come on!"

Hollypaw turned away. "No thanks."

He let out a growl. "Come on! Why not?"

"Can't be bothered." She flopped on the ground, starting to smooth out the ruffled fur on her throat.

"Can't be... What do you mean you can't be bothered?! Let's fight!" He sank his claws into the ground.

Hollypaw looked up at him, making her features innocent. "Did you say something?"

He snarled angrily, turning and stomping away. "Irritating she-cat!" he spat, making Hollypaw twitch her whiskers in satisfaction.

"Do you really have to be so mean to him? Honestly." Amberpaw padded over, her paws dragging. She laid down on the ground beside her sister, her amber eyes filled with exhaustion.

"What's up with you?" Hollypaw demanded.

"I'm tired," her sister explained, sounding like she was about to fall asleep already. "Sorreltail had me up this morning for early practice, and I just got done with a mock fight with Redpaw. He's going to be a quick little warrior."

"Little being the key," Hollypaw said snarkily.

Amberpaw frowned, closing her eyes. "You love to pester him, don't you?"

"If he didn't react so angrily, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun," she admitted, purring.

Her sister rolled her eyes. "I wish you two could get along like normal siblings," she mumbled. "It drives me crazy with all your bickering."

"Sorry," Hollypaw chirped, not feeling very sorry at all. "Did Lionstar say anything to you about the Gathering tomorrow?"

"No?" Amberpaw sat up. "Why would he? It's not like he's going to show us preferential treatment just because he's our father. That wouldn't be fair."

"That isn't what I asked." Hollypaw rolled her eyes. "I want to go to the Gathering. I have to show that pesky little Wavepaw who's the top apprentice. He thinks he's the Clan leader already!"

"It's not Wavepaw," Amberpaw corrected. "It's _Wind_paw."

"Whatever," Hollypaw scoffed. Jumping on the occasion, she narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care so much about his name, hm?"

"What?"

"I mean, you must think it's important to get his name correct. I wonder why that is?" Hollypaw watched her sister mischievously through the corners of her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Amberpaw mewed frostily. "He's just some ShadowClan apprentice."

"But didn't he have a nice pelt?" Hollypaw pressed, fighting back laughter. "So unusual—especially for a ShadowClan cat, don't you think?"

Amberpaw got to her paws, finally pestered to her limit. "I wish you'd grow up some, Hollypaw. And learn the warrior code while you're at it." She turned and left without another word.

Hollypaw blinked, surprised. Her calm, easy-going sister had given in so easily? _She really must be tired, _she mused. _Maybe I should go apologize or something. _The thought of herself going and trying to be contrite made her laugh.

"Honestly." A tail whisked Hollypaw over the ears, and she turned to look up at Graystripe, his amber eyes patient. "You'd think that everyone would get tired of you pestering them."

"Graystripe!" she mewed happily, standing up and purring. "How was it? The mission, that is."

"A success," he responded, his eyes warm. He pointed with his chin to the medicine den, where the tip of Leafpool's light brown tail had just vanished. "Mothwing was more than happy to give us some."

"Oh." Hollypaw flicked her tail excitedly. "Can we go train now? _Please?_"

Graystripe tipped his head back to look up at the sky. "I don't know, Hollypaw; it's pretty late already. I didn't know it would take so long to trek all the way over to RiverClan."

"But I've just been sitting around all day long!" she complained.

"Well, then, you're learning patience. It's an important part of being a warrior."

Hollypaw groaned, rolling her eyes. "But I was bored!"

"Too bad." Graystripe laughed. "Why didn't you go see your kin? I'm sure Harekit and Faintkit would have liked it."

She flopped back on the ground. "Why would I want to be bothered by a bunch of overeager kits?" she grumbled. "I'd rather be bored."

"That doesn't sound very fun. How about you get up early and we go hunting before the snowfall?"

She looked up, a gasp rising in her throat. "Is it going to snow?" she asked, thrilled.

"That's what Leafpool thinks," he answered, amused. "You'll find out soon that snow isn't as fun as you think it is."

But Hollypaw didn't care. Letting out an excited yowl, she leapt to her paws and pelted into the apprentices' den, calling out for her littermates. "Redpaw! Amberpaw! Guess what? It's going to snow! It's going to snow tomorrow!"

* * *

**Pretty corny, huh? I had a much cooler way of ending this chapter, but it's gone from rad-awesome to #########. Seriously. **

**Also, I have several new time-consuming obsessions. First off, _Ouran High School Host Club_, off of which I will be basing certain characters in this fic, as well as the TV show _Lost, _which my friend got me addicted to. And I'm severely excited about that new show _Flashforward, _which makes my inner-otaku squee amazingly. Seriously, guys, go and look at trailer. It looks amaaaaazing.**

**I don't know how many of you guys are Americans, but I'm a proud member of this fantastic country, and would like to express my condolences to anyone who had a family member lost in 9/11. It was a tragedy to our country, and I hope that all of those who died on this day eight years ago are in a better place. They are honored in this country as heroes. **

**Shadow**


	5. Chapter 4

****

Gosh, I really need to get a life, don't I? :P

**It seems I forgot to do review replies in the previous chapter...my bad! ^.^'**

**xXBloodpulseXx - Thankies, but I still think it was a bad chapter. ^.^' Jayfeather has a _lot _on his mind at the moment, some of which will become more evident as the fic rolls along! :D Well...hopefully. '- '**

**xxSnowfirexx - Ouch. I know how you feel, Snowy-chan (if I can call you that. I adore honorifics all of a sudden, but I can't use any age-related ones since I don't know ages of people, y'know? I shall stick to affectionate add-ons! :P). This laptop that I'm writing on has definitely had some near-death experiences, if you catch my drift. :P**

**icethroat21 - Icy-chaaaaan! It was pretty darn creepy for me, too. Like, the #'s were one a word, and they even had indents and paragraph breaks! :O It was like a sign from a different dimension!! (I think I just had a Tamaki moment. ^.^') But about Flashforward...INORITE?! I absolutely cannot wait. My little recorder box thing won't let me go all the way until it comes on, so I can't even make sure I'm recording it. T-T (And btw, I'm still using Open Office! :D)**

**Onto the chapter~**

* * *

"Seriously?" Hollypaw said dryly, staring out into the forest, her eyes glazed. "This is it? This is what I've been waiting for?!"

Redpaw snickered, nudging his sister. "And to think," he laughed, "you've been waiting for this day for a long time. Too bad it's turned out like this, huh?" He turned his gaze back to the forest, feeling a sense of awe as he looked at the leafless trees and ground, every surface coated with a fine dust of glittering snow.

"It's not even as thick as my paw!" Hollypaw exclaimed, poking at a small pile that had collected at the base of an oak tree. "Graystripe told me that the snow used to be foxlengths deep!"

"I guess not then, huh?" Amberpaw mewed, her eyes curious as she inspected a dead leaf, stiff and crisp with frost. "I think it's neat!"

"This is only the beginning of the snow," Icepelt explained, her blue eyes twinkling in the light of the full moon. "Just be patient for a little while longer, okay, Hollypaw?"

Hollypaw bristled. "Who said I can't wait?" she demanded. "Good warriors need patience, right? I'm going to be a great warrior! I can wait for snow forever!"

"Stop being so defensive," Redpaw mewed loftily, hoping to grate on his sister's nerves as much as she did his. "Besides, I'll be the better warrior, remember?"

"If not the shorter one," she retorted, the fur along her spine raised.

Redpaw spat angrily. "Don't call me short! I'm perfectly tall for my age, thanks."

"Uh, we're the same age," Hollypaw said condescendingly. "And I'm definitely taller than you, little mouse."

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Redpaw's pelt burned as he realized how the conversation had turned on him so easily. "I'm still growing, idiot!"

"Please," Amberpaw begged. "I want the other Clans to think we're mature apprentices, not barely-weaned kits."

Redpaw shivered as a icy claw of the wind probed his fur. _That's right, _he recalled. _This is my first Gathering! _Lionstar had decided earlier that day to allow all three of his kits to go and meet the other Clans, as Oakpaw had come back to camp with a thorn deep in her pad.

"I can still go!" the dappled ginger she-cat protested hotly. "My paw's fine."

"No it isn't," Leafpool had argued. "I need to keep an eye on you."

Oakpaw had grumbled and bared her teeth, but she knew better than to argue with the medicine cat.

_Oh well, _Redpaw thought. _Her loss and my gain! _He looked around, seeing the Gathering patrol pressing close together to drive the chill away. Graystripe and Lionstar headed the patrol, with Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Jayfeather, Berrynose, and Mousewhisker close behind, while the three apprentices, Icepelt, Blossomfall, and Bumblestripe brought up the rear. "Isn't this a small patrol for a Gathering?" Redpaw asked to no one in particular.

"No, there are usually this many cats," Blossomfall mewed in her soft voice. "Although, three Gatherings ago, we did take an usually large amount of cats, but that was due to a possible conflict with WindClan."

As usual, Redpaw felt the same weird squirm in his belly as the tortoiseshell-splashed she-cat recited the information with perfect memory. _She's so weird, _he thought. _She remembers everything so clearly. She doesn't seem to have any problems with telling everyone the exact numbers and days of events and stuff. _

"Redpaw, this is your first Gathering, isn't it?" Bumblestripe asked, his head tilted to one side and his gray pelt fluffed up against the wind.

"Yup!" he answered cheerfully. "I can't wait! I can't even imagine all the cats that are going! I've only ever seen a few WindClan cats..." _And they weren't very friendly, _he thought grimly, remembering the white-speckled tabby apprentice, Splashpaw.

Blossomfall purred. "I remember my first Gathering," she said softly.

_Of course you do, _Redpaw grumbled.

"Yeah, it was pretty interesting," Bumblestripe added. "That was when the Clans were still enemies." He winced as if the words had left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Hollystar's reign." Blossomfall's blue eyes were carefully guarded. "I don't care what any cat says, that she-cat was dark-hearted."

"What?" Hollypaw was all ears suddenly, nearly shoving Redpaw off the path as she pressed close to listen. "Why do you say that?"

Blossomfall looked nervous, as if she hadn't meant to say it out loud. "No reason, really," she mewed hastily. "Just my own personal opinion."

Bumblestripe looked at his sister curiously. "I know that every cat thought she was crazy," he said, "but you think she was evil?"

"Not evil!" Blossomfall was backtracking quickly. "I just think...never mind."

"But I want to know," Hollypaw said petulantly.

"Leave it," Amberpaw warned. "Besides, we're almost there." She motioned with her nose to the island, barely visible through the now-falling snow. "We'll cross over the log bridge and be there soon."

Redpaw could barely hold in his excitement. He was going to meet cats of another Clan!

Lionstar pulled up short, waiting for cats that stank of fish to pass by, their pelts sleek and lightly covered in snow. "Mistystar," he greeted warmly. "Greetings."

"Greetings, Lionstar." A blue-gray she-cat had stepped forward, a black tom at her side. "How's the prey running?"

"Very well," he answered, dipping his head slightly. "And yours?"

"RiverClan is well-fed and warm," she answered, her blue eyes gleaming.

Hollypaw scoffed lightly. "As if," she grumbled. "Look at her! You can count the bones under her pelt."

Redpaw peered closely at the RiverClan warriors, alarmed to see that his sister was right. "Then why is she saying they're not hungry?" he asked in confusion.

"So the other Clans don't try and take advantage of them," Icepelt answered. "Hush for now; when we get on the island, you can talk again, okay?"

Redpaw glared sourly up at the white she-cat. _She's not my leader or my mentor, _he thought darkly. _Who's she to be ordering me around?_

Amberpaw pressed closer. "Have respect for the older warriors," she whispered, as if she had read his mind. "One day you'll be saying the same things to young apprentices, too."

Redpaw relaxed his ruffled pelt, knowing that she was right. His sisters' amber eyes gleamed as they padded on either side of him, pressing close enough for him to share their warmth. Grateful for the comfort but feeling slightly resentful for their motherly actions, he leapt ahead of them, clawing his way onto the tree-bridge and weaving through the thin branches that poked out the top, nearly losing his balance several times.

"Hurry up," a cat behind him complained.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, crouching down, and with a huge leap, threw himself down on the pebbly beach of the island.

"Nice leap," Hollypaw mewed critically, jumping down delicately from the tree with Amberpaw right behind her. "I thought you were going to wipe out for sure."

Redpaw hissed. "Well, I didn't," he pointed out irritably.

Laughing, Hollypaw whisked her tail over his back. "It's so obvious that you share blood with Jayfeather," she mewed lightly.

Amberpaw sighed and shook her head. "Let's just have a good time, okay?"

"Wow! ThunderClan apprentices!"

Turning around, Redpaw barely had time to brace himself before he was bowled over, nose over tail, crashing into a thick clump of gorse. "What? What's happening?"

A pair of dark amber eyes stared into his, barely a mouselength away.

Yelping in fright, he pulled away and rushed back to his littermates, his pelt on edge.

The cat that had knocked him over, a small golden-brown tom, was laughing uncontrollably. "You should have seen your face!" he chuckled, turning to his companion, a long-legged black tom. "Did you see him?"

The tom nodded silently, looking rather bored.

The cat turned back to the ThunderClan apprentices, his eyes gleaming. "Sorry to startle you," he mewed, not sounding sorry at all. "But you weren't paying any attention at all and I couldn't resist!"

Hollypaw glared at him. "Is this what RiverClan cats think is funny?" she hissed. "You could have hurt him!"

"Hollypaw," Amberpaw chided. "Don't. He's obviously young; this might be his first Gathering! Maybe he doesn't know how to act with other cats."

The tom tilted his head to the side. "Do you want to play a game?" he asked suddenly. "I'm sure we have enough time! I love playing games!" He flicked his tail behind him, his eyes glittering with good-humor.

"Uh, aren't we supposed to be in the clearing?" Hollypaw motioned to a thick wall of undergrowth with her tail.

The tom frowned. Turning to the black tom, he asked, "Don't we have enough time?"

The tom tilted his head back and looked at the sky. "Yeah," he murmured. "There's time."

"Great!" The golden-brown tom turned back to Redpaw and his littermates. "Let's play Tail Catch!"

"Tail Catch?" Redpaw echoed, feeling a steady confusion spreading through him.

"Yep! All you do," the tom explained, his eyes still glowing, "is try and grab the tail of the cat on the other side! We'll split into teams. We'll be on one,"—he motioned to the black tom—"and you three be on the other, 'kay?"

"Uh..."

"Ready? Go!" The tom leapt forward, his paws outstretched to snatch at Hollypaw's tail, but she whisked away just in time.

"Hey!" she protested, landing awkwardly on her hind legs, but the RiverClan apprentice pounced again, leaping up and over her to land squarely on her tail.

"Out!" he declared, spinning to face Amberpaw and Redpaw, both of whom were standing awkwardly at the edge of the open space. "Who's next?"

The black tom had sat down, his dark eyes fixed on nothing in particular, as if he had no worries about playing this game.

Amberpaw, surprisingly, was the first to move, stalking towards the younger apprentice, her eyes narrowed.

The RiverClan tom yowled excitedly. "Let's see you get in this game, too, ThunderClan cat!" he called to Redpaw.

Narrowing his eyes, he dashed forward, skidding up to and around Amberpaw, reaching out with a forepaw to grab at the long golden hairs of the tom's tail...

And abruptly missing as the tom dodged neatly to the side.

Amberpaw came up on the other side, both paws outstretched, but the tom leapt straight up into the air, letting Amberpaw pass right underneath him. As he fell back down, he placed a well-aimed blow straight to the tip of her tail, but Redpaw knocked him clean out of the air, sending the both of them barreling into the base of a tree. With a rush of speed and a reaching paw, Amberpaw pinned down the tom's flicking tail.

Breathing hard, Redpaw backed up, his chin raised proudly. "Out!"

The little golden-brown tom laughed happily. "You beat me!" he said incredulously. "No one's ever beaten me before!"

Amberpaw laughed shortly. "Well, we did!"

"Wrong."

A swish of fur through air startled Redpaw, and he turned, but too late.

The black tom had come forward, his eyes still passive as he pinned down both Redpaw's and Amberpaw's tails.

"What?!" Hollypaw was on her paws where she had been sitting on the sidelines. "Cheat!"

"No!" the golden-brown tom protested good-naturedly. "He's been playing the whole time, remember?"

Redpaw yanked his tail away, feeling a burning sense of embarrassment as he realized he had lost. "Good game," he said, turning to the two RiverClan toms.

The golden tom's dark amber eyes glittered. "It was! Thanks for playing! I think my Clan might be looking for me, though..."

As he spoke, the blue-gray she-cat—Mistystar, Redpaw remembered—poked her head out of the undergrowth. "Where have you two been?" she demanded. "The Gathering's about to start!"

"Sorry, Mistystar," the tom mewed. "We were playing with these ThunderClan apprentices."

Mistystar sighed. "Don't you think you're too old to be playing kit games? Now get over here. Now." She pulled her head back, vanishing in an instant.

The RiverClan tom turned back to them, his eyes mournful. "Looks like the game's over."

"What does she mean you're too old?" Hollypaw demanded. "You're younger than us!"

The tom laughed. "Not hardly!"

The black tom's eyes glittered. "We're warriors."

"Warriors?!" Redpaw gasped. "But...you're—"

"My name's Honeysplash," the tom mewed cheerfully. "And this is Darkclaw. We're actually senior warriors in RiverClan. What are your names?"

Redpaw could only stare. _How can he be a senior warrior? He looks barely older than a kit! _But the moves that Honeysplash had pulled were obviously well-known and practiced.

Amberpaw took one look at Redpaw and Hollypaw's incredulous faces and mewed, "I'm Amberpaw, and these are my littermates, Hollypaw and Redpaw."

"It's nice to meet you!" Honeysplash was brimming with enthusiasm. "Isn't it, Darkclaw?"

Darkclaw nodded wordlessly.

Now extremely weirded out, Redpaw backed away. "We should probably be going, too."

"Maybe we'll see each other at the next Gathering!" Honeysplash trotted away, his tail raised in farewell. "See you later!"

The two cats—_senior warriors!—_disappeared underneath the edge of the gorse thicket.

"Wow," Hollypaw muttered. "They just don't make warriors like they used to, huh?"

"Don't," Amberpaw scolded. "Just because he's small—"

"You're right!" Hollypaw cut her off. "Redpaw, you just caught a view of your future, little mouse! You're going to be like Honeysplash!"

"Not hardly," he retorted coldly. "You'll see when I'm bigger than you one day."

"_Right_," Hollypaw drawled, swaggering in front of him and ducking under the thorn bushes.

Gritting his teeth to bite back a yowl of anger, Redpaw dropped to his belly and squeezed under the gorse, feeling the sharp thorns scrape at his back and tug his pelt. Amberpaw gave him one final shove when his fur became too knotted in the vines.

"I can do it myself," he snarled weakly, wanting to prove that he could take care of himself, that he wasn't too small to handle some stupid thorns, but he didn't want to hurt Amberpaw's feelings. With one final tug, he wrenched himself loose of the gorse, feeling shame heat his ears.

Amberpaw just stared at him with pitying eyes as she tumbled out of the undergrowth beside him.

_Save your pity on some cat who wants it, _he snarled in his mind.

"So I see you're back, huh?"

Even from this distance, Redpaw could pick out the pale pelt of Windpaw as the ShadowClan apprentice trotted over, a look of smugness on his pointed face.

"What do you want?" Hollypaw's voice was flat.

Windpaw's pale blue eyes sparked. "Nothing, of course. What could I ask of ThunderClan cats that I couldn't figure out myself? Not even ShadowClan kits need anything from ThunderClan cats."

"Then why did you bother walking over here?" Amberpaw demanded, her voice frosty.

Windpaw narrowed his eyes. "I wanted to see if you took my threat seriously."

Redpaw stepped forward at the same time as Hollypaw, but it was Amberpaw who beat them to it. "As if!" she scoffed. "Why would the word of some scrawny apprentice make us scared?" She narrowed her eyes.

_Whoa, she's really mad, _Redpaw realized.

Windpaw didn't back down. "It makes me wonder if your leader knows about your little journey into ShadowClan territory? I think some cat should tell him."

"You mean some cat of merit?" Amberpaw said cheekily.

Windpaw curled his lip. "I am a cat of merit," he hissed. "Any cat with ShadowClan blood is more important than some half-kittypet mongrel from ThunderClan."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Amberpaw retorted. "Personally, I wouldn't be throwing taunts too far—your mentor might hear you. She's already had to put you in your place once before."

"That's none of your business!" Windpaw snapped, his snow-pale pelt bristling.

"Amberpaw," Redpaw warned, feeling a twinge of irony that he was the one chiding her, as opposed to the other way around.

"Cats shouldn't talk like they're big warriors in the Clan unless they are," Amberpaw snapped.

"I will be one day!"

"One day doesn't count as now, ShadowClan cat."

Windpaw growled, unsheathing his claws.

"What's going on here?" a ginger tom demanded, striding powerfully in front of the battling apprentices. "Windpaw, explain this."

The white tabby tom shot a quick look at Amberpaw, his eyes critical. "Nothing," he said, surprising Redpaw. "We were just talking."

"About what?" the tom pressed.

Windpaw blinked, at a loss.

Hollypaw took one look between her littermates and the WindClan tom before mewing, "Battle tactics. Windpaw tells us that the hunting style in ShadowClan is different than ThunderClan's."

The ginger tom looked as if he didn't believe her.

"You're Rowanstar, aren't you?" asked Amberpaw suddenly. "The leader of ShadowClan."

The tom looked down at her, his eyes distant. "Yes," he answered. "You're ThunderClan, you said? I hope that we won't have to meet in battle any time soon." After these cryptic words, he looked down at Windpaw. "Come, Windpaw. Dawnfeather was looking for you."

"Yes, Rowanstar." He bent his head humbly while the leader looked, but when Rowanstar stepped away, his blue eyes burned. "Don't think this is over," he whispered, turning away to follow after the leader.

"Tsk. Cheeky little rat," Hollypaw mewed dryly. "You'd think he'd just learn to leave us alone. I hope this isn't a recurring thing."

Redpaw's pelt was still bristling. "Why does he always seek us out?" he complained. "He's so weird. I wonder what his deal with us is anyway."

"Who knows?" Hollypaw shrugged. "Not like I care, right? We'll just stick clear of that insolent little toad."

Amberpaw's eyes were confused. "Did we ever do anything to him?" she asked softly. "I've only ever seen him twice. Why does he seem to hate us so much?"

Redpaw twitched his whiskers. "Who cares," he grumbled. "Let's go and listen to the leaders, okay?" He turned to Amberpaw, who had dropped her gaze back to the ground in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She snapped her head up. "Why wouldn't I be?" she demanded. "I'm just hoping that I meet him in battle one day so I can rake his pelt!"

Hollypaw laughed, flicking her sister over the ears with her tail. "It's nice to hear _you _say that!"

Redpaw purred an agreement, turning around to settle down beside his sisters as a yowl sounded the beginning of the Gathering.

* * *

**These chapters are too dang short! I wanted to add on some more, but I think I'll leave that for the next chapter. ^.^' I'm such a procrastinator. **

**Oh, and super-awesome points to anyone who caught my allusion via Honeysplash and Darkclaw! I thought I made it pretty obvious, but it's probably difficult if you haven't seen/read the subject matter on which I am alluding to. :P**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**


	6. Chapter 5

**Man, I should have gone to bed an hour ago. Sorry if this chapter sucks. :P I'm half-asleep as it is. **

**xxSnowfirexx - Thanks! I really like that little furball, Redpaw. He's very naive and cute... Maybe I should make him more mature...nah! :P**

**icethroat21 - -blushes- Thankies, Icy-chan! :D (And yes, yes it is. I'm sure of it!!! D:)**

**Fwirlwind/pool - Nice rambling there, Fwirl-ranchii. ;)**

**Lightkit - Haha, I like Honeysplash and Darkclaw a lot. They're really...interesting. I think I might pop them in again later...at a certain point that I thought about today whilst shopping for fleece material. I'mma make a Mightyena hat with ears and everything. Doesn't that sound nifty? Oh, and Windpaw will _definitely _be explained later. Trust me. :D I love that irritating little rat too much to let him slide through my devious claws--I mean, loving authoress fingers. :D**

**Willowpool - Thankies! Nice penname, btw. Very elegant. ^.^ I like. **

**Skyst - Haha, close but no cigar. Honeysplash and Darkclaw are based off of characters from Ouran. They're Mitskuni Haninozuka and Takeshi Morinozuka respectively--otherwise known as Honey and Mori. ^.^ I have a little bit of Ed in a certain other short character...if you catch my drift. ^.^**

**Onto the fic!**

* * *

"All this time I thought that Gatherings were fun," Redpaw grumbled as they made their way home from the meeting. "All they did was talk about prey and kits. Bo-ring!"

"I told you before," Hollypaw retorted, "no battles makes for lame Gatherings. There weren't even any fights!"

"I don't know about that." Redpaw's eyes glinted. "It looked like Amberpaw was about to swipe that rat, Windpaw, down the muzzle."

Amberpaw lifted her chin. "I will one day," she declared. "At the first chance I get. That tom needs to learn some manners."

Hollypaw laughed. The trek home was going a lot slower than the way there, so her and her littermates had plenty of time to chat. _I wish that there had been a fight, _she complained. _I had loved to see Lionstar's face. _Glancing around Squirrelflight's ginger flank, she caught a glimpse of her father, his head bent close to Graystripe's.

"Didn't you think Onestar was acting strangely?" the gray deputy was mewing softly. "He was barely paying attention."

At the mention of the WindClan leader, Hollypaw felt a sharp chill in her chest. Onestar's face had been severely scarred by Lionstar's claws in a border fight seasons ago, and the tabby tom still bore the bright weals from that day, bisecting his face into a fierce-looking sneer.

"He did seem to act odd," Lionstar murmured. "But we shouldn't worry ourselves with him. He should have learned his lesson after..._that_ day."

The words seemed to have a deeper meaning to Graystripe, because his amber eyes darkened. "I doubt it," he said, uncharacteristic bitterness thick in his tone.

"Hollypaw!" Amberpaw's sharp voice interrupted Hollypaw's concentration. As she turned to glare at her sister, Amberpaw mewed, "You shouldn't listening to things you aren't supposed to be listening to!"

"I'm not," she protested hotly. "They're talking loud enough for me to hear—that's not eavesdropping."

Amberpaw's eyes were critical. "You'll hear more than you want to."

Hollypaw tilted her head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means to stop being nosy," Redpaw put in, his chin in the air. But before Hollypaw could react, he gave a sudden gasp. "Look!"

Hollypaw tilted her head back, looking up at the sky. Small, cold flakes of snow were falling gently, like a slower version of rain. "It's snowing!" she yowled.

At her voice, the other members of the patrol tipped their muzzles back to look at the sky, though not all with excitement. "This means more work for us," Icepelt sighed.

"Prey will be curled in their nests tomorrow," Squirrelflight agreed. "We should send out more patrols, don't you think, Lionstar?"

Lionstar nodded. "We'll try to get out first thing in the morning," he growled. "I don't like the looks of that sky."

Hollypaw pranced in place with excitement. "Did you hear? It's _really _going to snow tomorrow!"

Amberpaw's eyes glittered. "It should be fun," she purred. "But what about all the extra hunting?"

"Just send me out," Redpaw joked. "I'll bring in all the prey we'll need." He puffed out his chest importantly.

"Yeah, we can use you as bait, little mouse," Hollypaw said bitingly. "They'll think it's okay for the rest of the mice to come out."

"Shut up!" Redpaw snapped. "Maybe we'll send you out to get all the lazy squirrels out. They'll see you lounging about doing nothing as usual and try to use your fur as nesting material."

That, for once, stung. "I'm not lazy!" she hissed. "I hunt for the Clan as much as _you _do, Redpaw!"

Redpaw smirked irritatingly. "Sure, sure," he mewed patronizingly. "Just like yesterday when you came in with that _one _mouse after hunting all afternoon."

She flattened her ears, a growl rising in her throat. "Listen, you little—" She cut off abruptly as a sudden movement flickered behind Redpaw's sneering face.

"What is it?" Amberpaw turned curiously in the same direction.

But Hollypaw had already started to move away, casting furtive glances at the rest of the patrol. She had seen enough of the cat's face from the gleam on moonlight to know it was Onestar, the beams of light highlighting the deep scars on his face, and casting one side of his face in shadow.

"What are you doing?" Amberpaw flicked her tail in front of Hollypaw, looking alarmed. "You can't just wander off! It's barely after moonhigh!"

Hollypaw didn't even look at her, just walked around her tail. "What's he doing so close to our territory?" she hissed, mostly to herself. "And why is he without his warriors?"

"Who?" Redpaw, already over his spat, bounded to her side, his eyes gleaming in the pale light.

"Onestar," she told him, stalking along the rough edge of the border, the springy grass giving way under her paw.

"Onestar!" Almost seeming against her will, Amberpaw rushed over to Hollypaw's other side, breathing in deeply. "I smell WindClan," she murmured. "But it could be that we're so close to the border..."

"Or it could be because the WindClan leader is creeping around our territory at night," Hollypaw whispered. "Now hush if you're coming with me, because I'm going to—"

"To what? To sneak up on him?" Amberpaw's tone clearly questioned her sister's sanity. "Whether he's here or not, you can't just attack a Clan leader! Use your brain, Hollypaw!"

"I am!" she snarled, wrestling through the undergrowth. "I'm worried about the Clan. Happy?"

"You should have told Lionstar," Amberpaw fretted. "This is dangerous!"

"Lighten up, Amberpaw." Redpaw's pelt was bristling with excitement. "We're defending the Clan already, and we've only been apprentices for almost three moons!"

"Right," Hollypaw told her brother approvingly. "Now, Amberpaw, are you coming with us?"

Amberpaw's pale pelt was spiked uncertainly, but after a moment, she nodded stiffly. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you," she growled. "But I don't have to like it."

"It's okay, Amberpaw." Redpaw rubbed against her side. "We'll chase him off in a heartbeat!"

Amberpaw twisted her jaw and said nothing.

The WindClan leader was anything but difficult to track as he made his way through the brambles and gorse, his fear scent leaving a clear trail, and his panicky rasps filling the air. He was still sneaky about it, though—Hollypaw could see he was skirting the ThunderClan border with the ease of long training, his paws never leaving WindClan's side. He fell more than once, his breath hitching with pain as he scraped the long scars on his face.

After a few more tense foxlengths, Onestar stopped, his ears pricked and his mouth open to scent.

"Get back," Hollypaw whispered, shoving Amberpaw and Redpaw behind her.

Redpaw's eyes were fixed on Onestar's tabby pelt, but Amberpaw was twisted around, looking behind them as if to watch for hidden WindClan warriors.

Several heartbeats passed before Onestar decided to move forward, keeping his weight low over his paws like he was stalking a mouse. His pelt soon blended in with the dead fronds of bracken.

"Where'd he go?" Redpaw's voice ruffled her ear fur.

She jumped, startled. "StarClan, Redpaw!" she cursed. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he recanted. "Do you see him?"

Very slowly, Hollypaw crept out of the hiding spot, knowing that she stuck out on the white snow with her gray pelt. Picking up the pace until she was racing low across the ground, she crossed into another clump of brambles, the thorns tugging at her pelt as she settled in. The ground dipped here, quickly dropping into pockets where snow gathered. A clear trail of paw prints dotted the fresh snow.

Turning around, Hollypaw motioned with her tail for them to follow her. Redpaw came first, his pelt like a splash of blood on the snow, then Amberpaw quickly behind, looking extremely nervous. Hollypaw gave her an attempt at a reassuring glance, but was too enthralled in the idea of following Onestar that it probably was far from comforting.

As they moved forward, dodging the hollows of snow carefully, Hollypaw began to pick up a new scent, this one bitter and tinged with something that smelled like mouse bile. _StarClan, what is that smell? _She almost gagged. It smelled like something rotten.

"Wait," Amberpaw whispered. "Something's wrong." When Hollypaw turned to look at her, Amberpaw's eyes were wide and frightened. "Don't you sense it?"

Redpaw lifted his muzzle, his nose crinkling when the smell hit him. "Gross," he spat. "What is that smell?"

"Let's go back," Amberpaw begged. "This is wrong."

"No," Hollypaw said firmly, curling her lip to drive the scent from her nostrils. "We've already come this far. We might as well stick around and find Onestar."

A howl split the air, the sound of some depraved animal in terrible pain.

Hollypaw's pelt stood on edge at the sound.

Redpaw leapt forward and pressed his little body against Hollypaw's legs, his eyes so wide she could see the whites all the way around. "W-what was that?" he asked in a voice that was barely a whisper.

"Onestar," Amberpaw mewed shakily. "He must be hurt!"

Hollypaw shook her head. "That didn't sound like a cat."

"We need to tell someone!" Amberpaw insisted.

"No! We can solve this!" Hollypaw pressed forward again, hearing the shrieks increase in volume until she wanted to drop onto her belly and cover her ears with her paws. Shoving her way through a thick drift of snow, she found herself in a relatively-dry clump of brambles overlooking some kind of stone dip in the ground, the sides rimmed with dry, cracked mud.

And at the center stood Onestar.

His shoulders were tight and shaking, his whole body vibrating in an unnatural, out-of-control way. A horrible laughter was bubbling out of his throat.

_StarClan! What is going on here? What's he _doing _here? _

"Hollypaw," Amberpaw whispered, settling down beside her. "What...?"

"Shh!" Hollypaw was transfixed by the sight in front of her. Onestar was padding around the stone hole, his eyes fixed on the very center, from which a hissing bubble was rising.

"What? What is this, Brokenstar?" he was muttering. "Forsaken, huh? You make me live this torturous life and then you just take _this_ away?! Every step I take, every breath of air I breathe, every _beat _of my _heart _is _agony!_" He sat down with a sharp gasp. "I am... falling apart. My mind, my self..."

Hollypaw felt like she shouldn't be watching this, like she should cover her eyes or turn around and walk away. Something about this action seemed... She couldn't even place the word.

Amberpaw stood up slowly and took a step back, her head shaking slowly from side to side. She took another step, and then another.

"Amberpaw!" Hollypaw tore her gaze from the WindClan leader, who was now sniffing around the edge of the hole. "Don't!"

But she did. Twisting away, she turned to run, but her paw caught on a loose tendril of bramble. She yanked her paw frantically, not accepting the help that Redpaw tried to offer, nor the warning glances Hollypaw was feverishly throwing her. One last jerk and her paw was free, but she spun off-balance and flipped backwards, sliding on her back all the way down the embankment and coming to a stop right at Onestar's paws.

The WindClan leader's amber eyes were filled with shock. "What..." Launching himself forward, he sank his claws into her throat, pinning her down to the cold ground. "What did you see?" he demanded, panic making his voice high-pitched. When Amberpaw didn't respond, he let out a low curse. "What did you see?!"

Amberpaw shot an involuntary glance up the slope, a silent plea for help. Onestar turned at once to follow her gaze.

Hollypaw sank back down on her belly a heartbeat too late.

"Come out!" Onestar rushed up the slope furiously, ripping the bramble in half, exposing Redpaw and Hollypaw where they crouched, too terrified to move. "What are you doing here?" he thundered. "Spying? Just like ThunderClan, isn't it? Who...who are you? Apprentices? Come out!" he repeated, reaching inside with unsheathed claws to grip Hollypaw's scruff loosely, his grasp awkward. He released her, readjusting his footing, then reached for Redpaw.

That snapped Hollypaw out of her paralysis.

"Get your paws off him!" she snarled, slashing her claws at his too-close face, missing wildly because of her shaking paws. "Get! Get!"

Onestar pulled back, hissing. "You—" He slammed his paws against the brambles, but Hollypaw had already pressed Redpaw behind her, forcing him back against the base of a tree.

"Go," she whispered quickly. "Go and get Amberpaw. I'll distract him."

"No." His blue eyes burned. "I can't leave you here. You're no match for a full-grown warrior."

Onestar lashed his claws at the dead stems again, sending sharp thorns cascading down upon the two apprentices.

"Go!" Hollypaw repeated, narrowing her eyes. "Or I'll make you, little mouse."

Redpaw hesitated, his gaze flickering between Hollypaw's set face and Amberpaw at the bottom of the dip. Her eyes were dazed, and a single rivulet of blood was dripping from her forehead. Redpaw nodded stiffly, moving forward to briefly press his nose into Hollypaw's gray shoulder fur before creeping out the back of the bramble.

"I know you're in there!" Onestar's voice was deafening. "Come out! Do you disobey the command of a leader?"

"You aren't _my _leader!" Hollypaw snarled viciously, her eyes fixed on the scene just behind Onestar's reared legs. Redpaw had made in into the clearing, unbeknown to Onestar, and had gotten Amberpaw to her paws. The two of them crept up the back side of the slope and were gone.

Hollypaw turned back to Onestar, wincing as another rain of thorns scraped her pelt, stinging her eyes. The leader was in a rage, his paws bloodied by his attack on the brambles. It was as if he couldn't feel the pain, even though Hollypaw could clearly see the thorns driven deep into his pad.

_Remember to look for the weakest point on your opponent, _Graystripe had told her.

_Looks like that's it, _she thought. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before leaping up and out of the bramble, straight at Onestar's upraised paw with bared teeth. She hit her mark, driving her fangs deep into the already wounded pads, closing her eyes and biting deeper when the metallic taste of blood hit her tongue.

The WindClan leader yowled in agony, recoiling backwards, but dragging Hollypaw with him. With a hiss of fury, he flicked his paw, trying to knock the much-smaller apprentice off of his paw, but Hollypaw's grip was too good. Spitting, he twisted his neck and sank his teeth into her scruff instead, gripping her without strength to make her gasp from it, releasing her grip involuntarily. Yowling with triumph, Onestar threw her against the cold ground, driving the breath from her lungs, and prepared to lash his claws down her side.

She was stunned by the quickness of his movements. She didn't even have time to blink.

But Onestar's twisted sneer vanished in an instant as a red blur flew by Hollypaw's vision, light glinting off teeth and claws.

"Redpaw!" she gasped, finding her feet enough to stand.

Her brother had latched onto the leader's back with unsheathed claws, his eyes gleaming as he sank his teeth again and again into Onestar's back. Onestar's single eye burned with fury, but he couldn't shake off the small apprentice.

Hollypaw leapt forward next, remembering the techniques Graystripe had taught her about fighting larger enemies. _Aim low and destroy their balance, _he had told her. _Aim straight for the joints in their legs._

Sweeping her claws sideways like she was catching prey, Hollypaw lashed Onestar's front paw out from under him, following the move up with a swift kick from her back legs. She let out a hollow laugh when he fell with a crash, Redpaw still clinging to his back.

Hollypaw watched as the leader reached up with one paw and yanked Redpaw off his back with ease, panting hard. "Stop this," he commanded in a breathless voice. "You're attacking a Clan leader, idiotic kits!"

"You're on our territory," Hollypaw snarled. "We have every right."

Onestar's eye gleamed. "Think that for now," he snapped. "But when the time comes—" He broke off his threats with a strangled cry, half-falling to the side as his eyes widened.

Redpaw dashed away from where he had been bristling, standing at Hollypaw's shoulder. "What's going on?" he demanded, eyes wide.

Onestar retched and wheezed on the ground, his flanks falling and rising quickly. "Get away from me," he rasped, choking. "All of you...your eyes...red and gleaming. Shadows and weak light... Get away! I didn't want this! I didn't want _any _of this!" He got to his paws and ran away, pounding up the slope like something was chasing him. He skidded wildly, careening into the very same bramble bush he had been so intent on destroying, before getting his paws back under him and disappearing over the ledge.

Redpaw took a few steps forward as if he was going to chase after him. "What...what was that about?"

Hollypaw turned to him, furious. "Why didn't you run when I told you to?" she raged. "I'm older than you, right? You should listen to me when I tell you things! You could have been hurt. Hurt worse than you already are," she added, watching a line of blood trickle from his shoulders.

"What, no thank you?" Redpaw turned around to peer into the bushes. "Come on out, Amberpaw. He's gone."

Amberpaw slowly walked out of the brush, her pelt stuck with bits of twigs and leaves, while the cut on her forehead trickled blood down the side of her face, plastering the pale fur to her cheek. Her amber eyes were dull and unfocused.

"Amberpaw!" Hollypaw dashed over to her sister, sniffing down the line of her back, trying to reassure herself that she was okay. "Are you hurt besides your face?"

"I'm fine." Amberpaw's voice was stiff. "But can we _please _go home now?"

Redpaw fixed his eyes on the slope. "This is going to be hard to explain to Lionstar," he muttered.

"Not really." Hollypaw walked over to him and started to lick the blood clean off of his shoulder, working out the bits of leaf that stuck to the hurt skin underneath. "We'll just clean up the blood and not tell anyone."

"Are you stupid?" Redpaw scoffed, twisting his head away from her grooming. "Even if you lick the blood away, they'll still be wounds. Besides, we need to report this."

Hollypaw dropped back. "True... What if we say we just happened to come across him, but we _didn't _fight him? Then we won't get in trouble."

"Sounds good to me." Redpaw turned to Amberpaw, his blue eyes sharp with worry. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine," she whispered, her voice brittle. "I just want to go home. Can we please go home?"

Worried, Hollypaw pressed into her sister's side. "Yeah, we'll go home. Come on, Redpaw."

And together, the three littermates padded away from the churned-up ground of the WindClan leader's attack, the whole time wondering what in StarClan's name had just occurred.

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**Urgh! That ending is pathetic! It makes me angry to look at it. D:**

**But on a lightner note, have you guys seen the musical _Cats_? It has this really amazing song in it called "Memory" which I decided to spontaneously learn on the piano today. It's in Bb (my favorite key! ^.^) right up into the key change where it decides to randomly go into Db. D: It's so stupid and weird and lame! **

**Anyhoo, I should probably go to sleep so I can function tomorrow. :P**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**


	7. Chapter 6

**So right now, I'm sitting at my computer desk drinking a Dasani, wearing an oversized jacket, and a fleece hat with purple kitsune ears... It's writin' time! :D**

**xxSnowfirexx - Haha, I knowwwww. It's so depressing that I ended it that way, but I shall rewrite it one day! :D:D Hm, I actually never thought about that scenario...interesting. ^.^ Oooh, college~ Sounds fun. :P**

**xXBloodpulseXx - Eeep! Thanks, Leo-shi! I love me some little mouse, too. ;) Haha, do you have a name picked out for said character yet? I like to think that a name means _a lot _in characters, y'know? I picked out all the OCs names in this fic purposefully. I won't say all of them (-snicker-) but Redpaw I named after how bulls go crazy (supposedly) when they see a red cape. Nifty, eh? **

**Fwirly-whirly-whirlpool - Crazy is what I aim for, my ranchii. ;)**

**icethroat21 - Haha, I really, really want to see that musical. Your dad played the music for it? :O That's so amazing! My dad got a free ticket to go see it on Broadway one time (as much as I want to see it, I would never go to New York) because he had some kind of engineer meeting thing, and he tried to leave in the middle of it because he thought it was terrible, but it was raining, so he couldn't. :P Haha, I hate goody-goodies, too, so I'm trying to avoid Sueishness, but I'm not sure if I am. =\**

**Lightkit - :O Really? Aaaw, as short as I am, I'm still too tall to cosplay Honey. :( I'm going to a Con soon as a Mightyena gijinka! :D It's gonna be awwwwesome! -eerie voice- Hmm, you may be right, and you may be wrong... (XD)**

**Onto the chapter~~**

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It appeared that apprentices couldn't get into fights with the leader of WindClan and get away with it, Amberpaw thought grimly. Not like she had thought they could in the first place, after all. Three ragged apprentices coming in reeking of WindClan wasn't exactly innocent-looking. Lionstar had pulled them aside the moment they set paw in camp.

"Where _were_ you?" Lionstar was furious, his pelt bristled and his tail lashing behind him. "I sent out two patrols to look for you!"

"Hunting," was Hollypaw's explanation, delivered lamely as she winced from numerous scratches to her face.

"Hunting. Really." He didn't look amused. "That must have been exciting, especially with those wounds. Where's the prey?"

Hollypaw dropped her gaze and said nothing, casting furtive glances to her littermates at her side.

"Someone better tell me the truth in the next three heartbeats," Lionstar growled. "Or there's going to be trouble."

"We got in a fight," Redpaw said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"A fight with who?" Lionstar gritted out. "Someone in WindClan, obviously. Who?" When no one said anything, he swept on. "What am I going to tell the Clan? Cinderheart? Did you even _think _about what you were doing? Wait until your mother gets a hold of you!"

Involuntarily, Amberpaw flinched.

Noticing this, Lionstar turned to appeal her, his eyes furious. "Amberpaw, what happened? What happened to your face?"

Amberpaw lifted a paw half-way to her face, remembering the shallow slice to her forehead she had got when Onestar pinned her down. "I fell."

Lionstar looked like he was having a hard time controlling his temper.

"Onestar," Hollypaw said surprisingly. "We fought Onestar."

Taking a deep, slow breath, Lionstar sat down. "You went...on WindClan territory—"

"No," Redpaw mewed, jolting when Lionstar turned his angry glare on him. "He was on ours."

Immediately, Lionstar went from angry father to leader. "Where?"

"Behind." Amberpaw pointed out of the camp with her chin. "It was behind our territory by the tumbled rocks from the mountains. There was some kind of pool..."

"Pool?" Jayfeather's dark pelt materialized from the night, as if he had been watching the whole time. _He probably has, _Amberpaw realized. "What kind? What did it look like?" He sounded excited, closer to afraid than enthusiasm.

Weirded out by his sudden passion, Amberpaw answered, "It wasn't really a pool...it was more like where a pool was. It was all empty and there was some kind of mud all around it." She cringed as she remembered the taste of it when she had washed her pelt clean in a wasted attempted to throw off suspicion.

"Lionstar." Jayfeather's voice was urgent.

The golden leader was looking thoughtful, his ears flat against his head. "I know," he murmured. Turning to his kits, he growled, "You aren't to go out without an escort now. I can't be worrying about you all the time and wasting camp resources to hunt you down." His eyes rested on Hollypaw especially.

Noticing this, Hollypaw bristled. "Why are you looking at me?" she raged. "An enemy warrior was on our territory! The warrior code says that—"

"He could have _killed _you, Hollypaw!" Amberpaw couldn't remember her father being so angry. "Don't you understand that? As good as you think you are, you _don't _have the skills to take down a full-grown warrior—especially a Clan leader!"

Hollypaw didn't back down. "I was protecting the Clan," she growled. "I thought you'd be proud of that."

Lionstar hissed irritably. Seeing this, Jayfeather padded closer and whispered something in his brother's ear. Lionstar's eyes were slitted with rage, but he dipped his head to whatever the medicine cat apprentice had said. "Fine," he mewed stiffly. Turning to his kits, he sighed tightly. "Remember what I said," he told them, his voice taut. "From now on, your training is suspended. You'll spend the next three days helping out around camp, whether that's watching kits or taking prey to elders or helping Jayfeather and Leafpool sort herbs."

"What?" Redpaw's jaws gaped. "But...we were—"

"You have my orders." Lionstar's voice muted any other complaint. He turned around and padded away, leaping up the ledges and into his den.

Jayfeather's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "You have to try and understand what he's thinking," he growled, sounding almost concerned. "You're his only kits, you know."

"We know," Amberpaw murmured. "We're sorry if we worried him. And you," she added.

Jayfeather's mouth twisted and he looked away. "Well, I wasn't especially worried. I know that you three can take care of yourselves."

But Amberpaw could tell he was lying. She let out a short purr and brushed her pelt down his. "Sorry, Jayfeather."

He pulled back as if he was embarrassed. "Alright, alright."

"We're sorry, Jayfeather." Redpaw's voice was sad. Hollypaw said nothing.

"You'll really be sorry tomorrow. Bright and early, you can come help me get ticks off the elders." His eyes were narrowed with amusement. Giving them a flick over the ears with his tail, he padded back to his den.

"Idiot," Hollypaw scoffed.

"Hollypaw!" Amberpaw was shocked.

"Not Jayfeather," the gray apprentice clarified. "Lionstar. Why doesn't he get that we chased off an invader?"

"You can't call him an idiot!" Amberpaw said shrilly. "He's the Clan leader _and _our father!"

"So what?" Hollypaw's voice was petulant. "It's not like he cares anyway. He just wants to make us miserable. Well I've had enough! I'm done with this."

"With what?" Redpaw demanded. "Being in ThunderClan?"

"Maybe."

He scoffed. "Don't be such a kit."

Hollypaw's eyes blazed. "I'm not a kit!" she argued. "Why should we get worse treatment than everyone else just because we're apprentices? Any other cat would have gotten awarded for that."

"Do you think we should get special treatment because we're Lionstar's kits?" Amberpaw sighed. _Why does she have to be like this? She's so immature. _

"No! I just think that we should have been...complimented instead of punished." She started to pad away to the den, her shoulders tight.

Rushing up next to her, Amberpaw explained, "We _are _just apprentices, though." She followed after her sister into the warm darkness of the den, silently rolling her eyes.

"Harekit told me that apprentices in the old territories used to get their names for heroic deeds like this," she grumbled, curling up in her nest.

"And you judge your opinion based on what a kit said?" Redpaw scoffed. "And besides, this isn't the old forest; you need to stop thinking like this."

"Like what, little mouse? I just think we shouldn't have gotten punished."

"Well, we did. Lionstar makes the rules—not you." Amberpaw sighed, curling up in her nest and tucking her nose into the pale cream fur of her tail. "Just stop whining about it and accept it already. You're being annoying."

Hollypaw huffed, closing her eyes irritably and pointedly turning her back to her sister.

Amberpaw sighed again, wishing that Hollypaw could try—just _try—_for once to be a good apprentice.

It seemed like Amberpaw had just closed her eyes that she was startled awake, every nerve on alert. She looked wildly around, but she could see nothing around her. She could _feel _the breeze tugging her whiskers, wild and turbulent, and she could _feel _the cold ground beneath her paws, but when she looked, all she saw was a stretch on blank black nothingness.

Afraid now, she slowly extended a paw to touch the ground in front of her, terrified that she would fall right through and into emptiness. At her touch, the blankness bloomed upward in a spiraling swirl of colors—bright red, sharp green, deep night blue—until her pale pelt was on fire with the dancing light. She stepped back quickly, but more light sprang up at her paws, warming her pads with their soft fire. Leaping away, she saw that she left a dimpling of brightly-lit pawprints, outlining the shape of her paw with a halo of gold and silver fire.

"What is this?" she whispered.

As if in response to her voice, a rivulet of light pulled itself away from the colorful pawprint she had left on the ground, shivering in the slight, untraceable breeze. It detached itself with a jerk, hovering in midair.

"StarClan," she breathed. "What are you trying to tell me?"

The light, now a ball of swirling light, turning towards her, a sound coming from it like birdsong—high-pitched and keening. "You are Amberpaw?" it asked in a voice like the whisper of rustling leaves. "The kin of Firestar and Tigerstar?"

"I...I am." Her voice was shaky. This felt like something more than a dream—something tangible.

The orb floated closer, almost lazily, until it was right in front of her. Amberpaw thought she could pick out shapes she knew in it—a rabbit hopping, a pair of gleaming green cat eyes, the stalking grace of a fox... "We've been waiting for you."

"We?" she repeated. "What are you?"

"Come closer and you will see," it whispered, extending out a tendril of its shining mass, forming it into a reaching cat paw. "We will show you."

Amberpaw didn't move. "What are you?" she repeated, trying to make her voice stronger.

The orb shivered again, its surface rippling like wind across water. "We will not offer this again," it said. "Come now or die alone."

Ice coursed through her veins. "W-what?" she gasped, feeling like she was choking. "Die...? What are you talking about? What do you mean? I'm not going to die!" What did this mean? This was a dream, nothing more! But the more she tried to reassure herself, the more that doubt grew like a sick pit in her belly.

The light ball withdrew its reaching paw. "So, you aren't as strong as we thought. Perhaps we were mistaken. But regardless"—it turned to her again, uncountable sets of glittering eyes gleaming in its body like beams of broken sun over water—"you have been chosen. You can accept and know of your fate, or..." It let its words hang, its multiple eyes sharp.

"Or what?" she demanded through gritted teeth, her pelt bristling with fear.

"Or die." It had no nuance to its tone, no way for Amberpaw to tell if it was lying or being truthful. "It's in your blood, your pelt, your mind—you can't change it anymore than you could change into a squirrel. Your blood alone."

"My blood," she repeated. "What...?"

"Choose now!" It voice crashed like a crack of thunder, and Amberpaw involuntarily pressed her belly against the ground as her tail fluffed out with terror. "Choose now," it repeated, "and know of your fate. But you can't tell a single cat—not even your closest kin or friends."

Amberpaw swallowed dryly, feeling like she was going to be sick. _Is this even real? _she asked herself, knowing she had no answer. "I choose to live," she answered finally, extending her paw out.

The orb rippled, then coasted forward, its eyes glinting with some hard emotion that set Amberpaw's teeth on edge. It reached forward, a tendril flowing out of its larger mass and wrapping around Amberpaw's cream paw.

At once, the orb flashed gold, brighter than anything Amberpaw had ever seen. She closed her eyes against the light, but it only highlighted the insides of her eyelids, turning them a scalding pink.

The light jolted once again, sending a pulse through Amberpaw's entire body, and she sat up with a gasping cry.

"Amberpaw!" Redpaw was leaning over her, his eyes alarmed. "What's wrong? You were clawing at me when I tried to wake you up!" He turned his shoulder to display the four claw marks that were already oozing beads of blood.

Amberpaw looked at them blankly, her mind whirling. _So it was a dream after all, _she sighed, leaning back down into the warmth of her nest with a numbing sense of relief.

"Is she okay?" Hollypaw rushed in, her mouth full of dripping moss. "I ran and got the water...Amberpaw!" She pressed her paws against her sister, worry dripping from every word. "Are you alright? I'm about to go get Jayfeather..."

"I'm fine, really." Amberpaw got to her paws, shaking out her pelt. Her voice was still shaky, and her eyes burned like she had been staring into the sun. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head from side to side. "I just had a nightmare."

"Probably from yesterday," Redpaw reasoned. "You did hit your head pretty hard."

Amberpaw lifted a paw to her face, feeling the sticky thatch of cobwebs Leafpool had applied to her head. "It's fine. It was just a weird dream." She shook out her pelt again, trying to rid herself of the burning itch she had felt when the orb had touched her. She opened her mouth to explain, then shut it promptly, the words of the light ringing in her ears: _But you can't tell a single cat—not even your closest kin or friends._

"Well...if you're sure you're alright..." Hollypaw's voice was uncertain.

"I am," Amberpaw insisted.

Nodding, Hollypaw's expression quickly soured. "Today we're supposed to change out all the bedding in the elders' den and remove their ticks." She winced.

"Okay." Anything to take her mind off of the dream, Amberpaw rationed. "Sounds alright."

Redpaw stuck his tongue out in distaste. "I can't wait for this punishment to be over," he grumbled. "I have training to attend to."

"Yeah, you're gonna need it, little mouse." Hollypaw flicked his ears with her tail.

"Say that again," Redpaw threatened. "I'll make you wish you were born without a tongue!"

"Little. Mouse." Hollypaw drew out the words, her eyes glittering mischievously.

Snarling in fury, Redpaw lashed out his claws at his sister, but she had already leapt cleanly out of the den, right over a dozing Rainpaw. Redpaw followed her, yowling loudly for a fight.

Amberpaw sighed, happy to see at least _they _were acting normal. She moved to step forward out of her nest.

A sharp pain flashed through her paw.

She awkwardly sidestepped, accidentally stepping on Oakpaw's tabby tail.

"Hey," Oakpaw protested weakly, wrapping her tail back around her body. "Watch it, bumblepaws."

"Sorry," Amberpaw apologized quickly, limping quickly out of the den. It was late enough in the day that most of the Clan was already out and about doing their business. Redpaw's and Hollypaw's lashing tails were just visible sticking out of the medicine den.

Hurrying into the shadows, Amberpaw hesitated, breathing hard. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, she turned over her paw to look at the pad. An angry, bright red weal marked the black skin, cut deep into the pad like a fox bite.

_StarClan, _she thought, closing her eyes. _What's going to happen to me?_

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******And now, I must take an online test for Astronomy. XP It sucks, I tell ya. ;)**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	8. Chapter 7

**So I have a story for you guys.**

**Once upon a time, there was this girl. Let's call her Shadow. She was helping her dad fix his totally sweet '65 T-Bird like the saintly daughter she is, when she walked head-first into a lift. (A car life, for those of you reading. Like, those ones that they put cars on to change their oil and stuff). Afterwards, the girl would get splitting headaches, even though she didn't bleed and didn't get a bump on her head. So, today, while playing World of Goo with her friend, she smacked her head once again on a trundle bed. So now, she has a really bad headache. Why is she/am I telling you this? So I can explain why this chapter is complete and utter crap. Thanks! :D**

**xxSnowfirexx - Uuh, well, no, not really, but it shall be explained! :D I do love Astronomy, too, but I was just worried since this was my first test. I was the third one done! :D:D And about college...since I'm not _supposed_ to reveal my age on the internets, I can't specifically _say _that I know what you mean about college, but if I _could_ say I knew what you mean about college, I would have to agree with you that it isn't all what it's cracked up to be. But since I _can't_, I won't. _Riiiight_? -wink wink-**

**icethroat21 - Thanks and thanks! I think it went really well. ^.^**

**Lightkit - Haha! You shall find out what will happen to dear Amberpaw, as I plan to base her off of a character that I know and love from one of my favorite anime. :P I really need to get a life outside the internet. ^.^' Wow! All you need is for someone to be your Mori, huh? Heeeey, I'm going to one in Febuary! It'll be awesome: you would be all, "Are you Shadow?!" And I'll be all like, "Are you Lightkit?!" And then it shall be grand. ^.^**

**F-F-F-Fwirleh! - You shall see, you shall see! ;)**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Redpaw tossed down yet another bundle of soiled moss into the dirtplace hollow, his neck aching. "Mousedung, Jayfeather," he snarled under his breath, "have you been saving all of this up?" The image of the smirking gray tabby, his eyes glittering with amusement as he motioned to the heap of bad moss, flashed before his eyes. He spat irritably, arching his neck to stretch out the sore muscles.

"Hey, Redpaw." Cinderheart padded into the clearing, her tail swishing behind her and her blue eyes sparkling. "How are you, my little warrior?"

"I'm not little," he grumbled, shouldering past her, already too irritated by working to put up with anymore fuss.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." Cinderheart flicked out her tail, blocking the way. "Why don't you and I have a chat, hm?"

"About what?" He was instantly suspicious. "I already told you all about the fight with Onestar." Cinderheart had been inconsolable when they had gotten back from the battle, their pelts raked down to the skin. It had taken several long moments of shouting for Cinderheart to finally calm down, her eyes sharp and scared.

"How's your training been going?"

"Fine, I guess," Redpaw said dryly. "It's not like I get to do battle training."

His mother's blue eyes—so much like his own—were sympathetic. "You will one day. Maybe Berrynose doesn't think you're ready for that."

"Berrynose can go chase his own tail," Redpaw spat softly, trying to walk past again.

Cinderheart let him go, sighing. "I wish you wouldn't be so quick to fight."

"What?" Redpaw felt the fur along his spine prickling. "I'm not quick to fight! I'm perfectly calm, alright?"

"Sure, sure." Cinderheart got to her paws, tilting her head to the side. "You're so much like your father, it's incredible."

Redpaw puffed out his chest, feeling proud.

His mother sighed again, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. "That's not always a good thing, dear one." She licked his cheek, purring, and quickly padded out of the hollow, heading deeper into the forest to hunt.

Wishing he could follow her, Redpaw sighed gustily, turning back in the direction of the camp reluctantly.

- - -

"Hey," Hollypaw said dully as Redpaw flopped down beside her, too worn out to even nibble at the mouse he had brought. It was cold and as stiff as wood from laying around in the snow. "Tough work with Jayfeather today?"

"He made me carry about my weight in moss," Redpaw complained. "I feel like my neck's just going to drop off."

"I had to do tick duty," Hollypaw told him, laying her head on her paws, then recoiling sharply, her lip curled. "Looks like I didn't get all the mouse bile off. Sandstorm's been out wandering around; her pelt was full of ticks."

"I'd rather have done your job," he grumbled, pulling the mouse towards him with one paw. "Wanna share?"

Hollypaw shook her head. "I don't have much appetite."

Curious, Redpaw asked, "Are you okay?"

She hesitated.

Sitting up, Redpaw looked at her closely. "Are you sick?"

"No," Hollypaw said fiercely. "I've been worried about Amberpaw."

He was surprised. "Amberpaw? What's wrong with her?"

Hollypaw scoffed, tossing her gray head. "Are you that oblivious?" she hissed. "She's been just laying around for the past three days. She's supposed to be helping with Honeyfern's kits for our punishment, but she just lets them climb all over her. Faintkit told me that she hasn't been speaking either."

"Really?" He'd been too worried about doing his own chores that he'd forgotten his sister. Guilt flooded through him. "Where is she now?"

Hollypaw twisted her head around to point with her muzzle at the den. "In there. She didn't want to eat." She sounded worried.

"I'll go check on her." Redpaw pushed the mouse over to Hollypaw and padded over to the den, opening the air to scent, but no smell of sickness reached his scent glands. "Amberpaw?"

"Here." Her voice was weak.

"Amberpaw!" Redpaw rushed over to her, pressing his muzzle against her side. Her body was cold, like she'd been lying around in the snow. "What's wrong?"

Her yellow eyes were distant. "Nothing. Why would you think—"

"Because you're just lying around," Redpaw interrupted. "Get up!"

"I already did my work," Amberpaw said testily, glaring up at him. "I can lay here if I want to." She dropped her head back down to the ground.

Redpaw shoved her again. "Get up!" he repeated. "Come out and eat with us."

"Not hungry."

"Then come out and sit with us instead. You don't have to eat."

"I'm comfortable here."

"Then—"

"Redpaw," she snapped. "I don't want to go. Leave me alone!"

He drew back, shocked by her reaction. "Amberpaw..." She was never this brusque—and especially not with him.

She closed her eyes, sighing. "Just leave," she mewed miserably.

Redpaw turned around hesitantly, still looking over his shoulder. Amberpaw curled up close, pressing her paws under her chest. "If you need us, we'll be outside," he called softly.

She didn't answer.

Hollypaw's eye were fixed on the apprentices' den when Redpaw walked out, and she didn't even wait until he was closer to ask, "Well? What did she say?"

"She wants to be left alone." Redpaw dropped back on the ground, feeling exhaustion swell around him like a wave. "She didn't want to come out here."

Hollypaw set her jaw, flicking out a sullen paw to whack at the limp mouse. "Something's bothering her," she mewed at last.

"Well, that's a no-brainer," Redpaw snapped, more annoyed at himself than he was at her. "The question is, what's wrong with her?"

"Should we get Leafpool to take a look at her?" Hollypaw suggested nervously, sounding uncharacteristically worried. "Maybe she could give her some herbs or something..."

Redpaw shook his head. "There's no point. We just have to wait and see what happens, I guess." He sighed. "Today's really turning out to be a bad day."

"Well, your punishment is over now." Redpaw looked up to see Lionstar padding across the clearing, his amber eyes gleaming. "You did well. Your training will start again at dawn tomorrow. I want all three of you on the patrol." He frowned. "Where's Amberpaw?"

"She's—"

"Sleeping," Hollypaw cut her brother off, casting him a furtive glance. "Playing with kits all day really wore her out."

Lionstar purred. "It's good that she was playing with them, though. It's several more moons before they become apprentices."

"What about Rainpaw and Oakpaw?" Hollypaw questioned. "Will they be warriors soon?"

Lionstar laughed. "Are you jealous?" he teased gently. "You'll be a warrior one day."

"Hopefully," Redpaw grumbled. "If we learn some battle moves."

Lionstar's ears perked. "You don't know any?"

"Only the basics," Hollypaw mewed breezily. "Pouncing, tripping, claw slash... Nothing other than that."

"Well..." Lionstar leaned closer. "I just sent Rainpaw off to hunt along the back of the territory. Why don't we go and practice some right now?"

Redpaw gasped. "Really? You'll teach us?"

He nodded. "It'll be our secret. You can surprise your mentors next training session."

"Yes!" Hollypaw leapt to her paws. "Let's go now. Can we go now?"

"I don't see why not. Go and fetch Amberpaw and we'll leave."

Redpaw hesitated, glancing over to Hollypaw nervously. "But she's sleeping," he hedged.

Lionstar shook his head. "At this time? Go wake her up or she won't be able to sleep tonight."

_Oh, no, _Redpaw panicked. _He's going to go make Amberpaw come with us! He's going to find out she isn't feeling well!_

Lionstar was suspicious now, looking between his kits with sharp eyes. "What's going on?"

Hollypaw was basically useless, her eyes wide as she thought of a way out of this situation. Redpaw gritted his teeth. "Nothing," he mewed shortly.

"Hm." Lionstar padded over to the apprentices' den, peering inside. "Amberpaw?" he called. "Can you come here, please?"

Redpaw glared at his sister. "Thanks a lot," he whispered scathingly. "You were a lot of help."

Hollypaw glared back at him. "What was I supposed to do? Lie to him? Besides, I didn't see _you _trying to do anything!"

Surprisingly, Amberpaw padded out after her father, her eyes dull. She glared sharply at her two siblings when Lionstar wasn't looking.

"Now then," mewed Lionstar, completely oblivious, "let's go, shall we?" He turned and lead the way out of the clearing, leaving for his kits to follow behind.

"Thanks a lot, Redpaw," Amberpaw hissed. "I told you I just wanted to lay there!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Redpaw snapped incredulously. "I didn't make Lionstar come and get you!"

"Whatever," Amberpaw scoffed. "Just don't talk to me." She sped up, picking up her pace until she was padding beside Lionstar.

"Amberpaw," Hollypaw sighed. Then her tone changed, becoming more alarmed. "Is she limping?"

Redpaw watched his sister closely, noticing how she was favoring a front paw. "Yeah, I see it. Maybe she got injured in the fight with Onestar."

"But he never touched her paws," Hollypaw protested.

"She could have picked up a thorn," Redpaw suggested. "There were plenty of them laying around there."

"That's probably it." But Hollypaw didn't seem totally convinced.

Lionstar lead them all the way to the mossy training hollow, sweeping his tail around the hollow to push away some of the light snow that had fallen. "Ready? We'll start with a few basic moves." He nodded to Hollypaw. "Come here."

Giving one last uncertain look at her sister, Hollypaw stepped towards Lionstar, not really paying attention.

With a lunge, Lionstar leapt forward and, with a single swing, knocked Hollypaw's legs out from underneath her. She yelped in shock, flipping around on her side to land shakily on her paws, but Lionstar moved again, this time aiming for the side of her head. She ducked quickly, finding her footing on the mossy ground quickly and launching forward, aiming for Lionstar's shoulder. He whisked out of the way easily, shouldering her in mid-leap and knocking her off-balance. Fishtailing sideways, Hollypaw lost control of her balance and skidded, losing her footing and falling on her side.

Lionstar held her down with one paw, his amber eyes excited. "Well done," he praised, "but you lost it on the loose moss." He raked up a pawful of it, displaying it to her. "You need to use the elements to your advantage. With this slippery moss, it would have been easy for you to—"

Hollypaw swung her hind legs around, sweeping Lionstar's paws towards her. He teetered, fighting for balance, then half-fell to the side, allowing time for Hollypaw to get back to her feet. She panted, worn out.

"Excellent!" Lionstar turned to Amberpaw. "How about you next?"

"No thanks," she mewed, staring off into space. "I don't feel well."

Lionstar frowned. "You don't want to learn? This is important, Amberpaw."

"I'll go instead," Redpaw supplied, looking at Amberpaw critically, but she had already looked away.

"Alright, then. Take your place." He nodded towards the other side of the hollow.

Redpaw started to pad that way, passing Hollypaw on the way.

"Good luck, little mouse," she sneered. "Let's see you beat that."

"Maybe I will," he retorted. "Just keep an eye on Amberpaw." He trotted forward, turning to face his father, letting his eyes settle on different vulnerable parts. _I'll have to aim low, _he reasoned. _I'm too...too small—_he felt an internal gag at the words—_to knock him off-balance like Hollypaw did. Maybe if I hit his paws..._

Lionstar crouched low.

_Oh, no! _Redpaw started to panic. _He's about to attack. Okay, calm down, calm down. You didn't panic when you fought Onestar, _he reasoned. _But it was mostly Hollypaw fighting Onestar, _a voice in the back of his mind whispered.

Cringing, Redpaw crouched as well, and taking a step to the side.

Lionstar rushed forward, intending to take him down by disrupting his balance like he did with Hollypaw, but Redpaw had already seen him do that—he knew what to expect. Jumping to the side at the last minute, Redpaw dodged the attack narrowly, feeling the wind created from his father's leap.

Lionstar wheeled around, his claws gripping the icy moss. "Nice," he growled. "I was hoping you were watching." Then, without warning, he leapt straight up into the air.

Gasping, Redpaw tried to move out of the way, but was unsure of which way to go. Running out of time now, he skidded to the side just as Lionstar crashed down. He swept out a golden-furred paw and hooked his son's hind paw, yanking him to the side, following up with a paw placed firmly on his flank, pressing him into the frosty moss. Redpaw kicked out but couldn't get loose.

"Good," Lionstar panted. "Good." He let go and stood up, stretching his shoulders as if he was sore from the brief bout.

Redpaw was angry. "Why did you stop? I could have gotten loose!" _You didn't let Hollypaw off so easily, _he added mentally.

Lionstar shook his head. "No way. I had you pinned too well. You would have struggled, but it wouldn't have done anything."

Curling his lip, Redpaw let his claws unsheathe. "Again," he demanded. "Rematch."

"It's too late for that," Lionstar argued.

Redpaw looked up into the sky, surprised to see pink streaks in the dimming sky. "We have enough for one more," he protested. "Please."

"No," Lionstar mewed firmly. "Maybe another time. We should head back to camp—it's going to be a cold night. I think there's more snow on the way." He flicked his tail and started to pad away, pressing through the frost-crisped leaves easily.

Redpaw spat angrily. "I could have had him!"

"No way, Redpaw," Hollypaw mewed loftily, flicking a scrap of moss off his shoulder. "He had you beat. Stop being such a sore loser."

"Shut up!" he snarled. "He did _not _have me beat!" _Irritating pest! _he railed. _Why do you have to act like you're better than me?_

Not even Amberpaw had any comforting words to say. Her eyes were fixed on her paws, and her eyes were as distant as they had been for the past three days.

Redpaw sighed. "She-cats!" he cursed.

* * *

**So now I think I'mma go watch some _Lost. _Have you guys seen that show? It's amaaaaaazing! So in-depth and awesome and...amazing! ^.^ I luffle it.**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	9. Chapter 8

**Maaaaan, I've been such a whiner. Sorry for all the complaining guys... I feel like a tool. ^.^' But I'm on the mend, so it's all good. So... sorry for being a pansy. And sorry for apologizing for everything. Sorry. (XD)**

**Anyhoo... I hope you all know that I'm gonna be doing NaNoWriMo, so come and do it with me~ Everyone should go and do it! It'll be awesome! And on that same note, I won't be updating this or any other story in the month of November. And on that note, it's autumn!! I love autumn, but I have to say that I love winter more. When it's all coldish and windy--love it~**

**xxSnowfirexx - Hmm, who can tell? -wink- All will be revealed in time, my friend. Well...hopefully. | :O You listen to Celtic Woman, too?! That's so weird; I just had Chloe's version of "Someday" playing. They have such beautiful voices, it makes me jealous. I saw them for the first time when they performed last year on Dancing with the Stars. Awesomely awesome~**

**Fwiky-Fwiky-Tutankhamen - ... You suck. T-T**

**icethroat21 - Haha! Tis okay, dear Redpaw, I was a shorty too. Well, I am now, anyways. That's the problem with being friends with guys: one year you're lording it over the little shrimps, and the next they come back from summer and they're two feet taller. Darn them. :P**

**xXPantheraXx - How do you come up with all these pwnsome pennames, Leo? It makes me jealous. :P Aaw, colds suck. I hope you feel better soon~ You'll see about Amberpaw, and as for Lost... :D**

**Lightkit - Yeah, Hollypaw and Redpaw are kinda dense. It reminds me of my own brother sometimes; you know how guys are. ;) Luckyyyyyyyyy. I wish I could go to KatsuCon, but I live significantly further south. Yes! Lightkit-senpai! :D:D Does this make me Shadow-kohai? :P**

**NewProphecy - Heeeeeya~ I myself have a soft spot for Hollypaw, but that might be only because of what I'm going to do to her later on in the fic... -insert evil laugh-**

**Man, these ANs are getting even longer. I might wanna cut it down a bit. ^.^'**

**On to the story!**

* * *

"Can't I go?" Hollypaw begged. "Please? You said you wanted us on patrol!"

Lionstar sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't mean I wanted you on the WindClan patrol," he explained. "This is a time for warriors, not apprentices."

Hollypaw was furious. "The whole reason you're going is because of me!" she snapped. "Don't you think I deserve a place on that patrol?"

His amber eyes sparked. "Don't act like that," he scolded. "You'll earn what you deserve. _Never _act like you're better than the rest of the Clan. Don't _ever_ let me hear you say something like that ever again!"

Hollypaw recoiled, ears flat against her head. She hadn't heard her father act so vehemently about something before. She hated to admit it to herself, but it frightened her.

Noticing this, Lionstar pressed his muzzle against her side. "Sorry," he mewed shortly. "But this is going to be a dangerous mission. I don't...I don't want you to get hurt again. If anything ever happened to you and your littermates...I don't know what I'd do."

Awkwardly, Hollypaw pulled away and licked her father's ear. "It's fine," she muttered. _I hate all this mushy stuff, _she thought as she stepped back. "I'll stay here and guard the camp then." She puffed out her chest.

Lionstar laughed, ruffling her whiskers. "I hope I can entrust the Clan to you, Hollypaw." He dipped his head low in playful respect.

"Maybe one day I'll be Holly_star_," she announced, purposefully arranging the words that way to see her father's reaction.

But he disappointed her yet again. Bending his head in a small, jerky movement, he said, "Maybe. Maybe." Giving her a flick over the ears, he padded away to summon the rest of his patrol—Cloudtail, Brightheart, Hazeltail, and Foxclaw. The ginger tom turned and nodded at Hollypaw, waving his tail friendlily. Hollypaw just looked at him sourly—now that her father was out of view, she wouldn't have to hide her disappointment that she wasn't on the patrol.

As he passed, Foxclaw purred, "You'll be on the next one when you're a warrior."

His words might have been friendly, but Hollypaw had had enough talk of the patrol. "Yeah," she mewed blandly, turning away to head back to the apprentices' den sullenly, dropping on the outside of the den. Heaving a sigh, Hollypaw rolled over onto her back, closing her eyes against the weak leaf-bare sun.

_Why does he never want to talk about her? _she thought angrily. _Why is it such a strain to talk about Hollystar? Redpaw and Amberpaw don't even seem interested in her... _

_Well, maybe, _a small voice whispered in the back of her head, _it's because you were named after her._

Hollypaw frowned. _Doubt it! She's our kin—we should want to know more about her. I don't see anything wrong with wanting to know more about your kin. Every other cat in the Clan thinks she was a monster—even Squirrelflight—but Jayfeather and Lionstar don't. _It made her itch with curiosity.

"Hey, lazypaws." Blinking her eyes open, Hollypaw saw Oakpaw's cheerful face peering over her. The ginger-dappled she-cat's green eyes were glowing. "You want to come hunting with Rainpaw and me? Poppyfrost already told me it's okay." She nodded over to where her mentor was crouched with Cinderheart, grooming her sister's ears. "And Lionstar's out anyway. Why don't you go ask Graystripe?"

"He's out hunting with Millie," grumbled Hollypaw. "I can't ask him."

"Oh." Oakpaw sounded disappointed.

_You and me both, my friend, _Hollypaw thought bitterly.

"Well, you can catch up when he comes back." Oakpaw waved her tail in farewell, bounding across the clearing to meet her brother by the tunnel, his dark pelt blending easily in with the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

Hollypaw watched curiously as he stood up and shook his pelt, sending flakes of snow scattering. _He always seems to be on the outskirts of the Clan, _she mused. _I wonder why he's such a loner...Oakpaw's nothing like that. _She purred as she remembered how she and Oakpaw had once left a half-stunned mouse in the fresh-kill pile, nearly startling Dustpelt out of his fur when he went to go grab it. The grumpy elder had chased the two apprentices around the clearing until it was hard to breathe from running and laughing so hard.

Rainpaw's dark eyes were thoughtful as he listened to his sister, then he turned and padded out of the camp.

_Wish Redpaw, Amberpaw, and I got along like that, _Hollypaw thought, closing her eyes once again. _They __don't seem to have any problems. _The sun was warm on her belly fur, making her drowsy. "I guess I can close my eyes here for a few heartbeats," she murmured to herself. "No one's...that...busy." Her eyelids felt heavy.

"Hollypaw!"

Jerking upright, Hollypaw looked around in confusion. The sun had set , it appeared, casting long shadows across the snowy clearing. "What? What is it?"

Graystripe did not look pleased. "Hollypaw, I told you I was only going to be gone for a few heartbeats. I barely left the camp, for StarClan's sake!"

Hollypaw sprang to her paws, feeling a steady embarrassment heating her ears. "I wasn't asleep that long," she protested, shaking off a dusting of snow that had settled on her pelt. "I only barely had my eyes shut."

Graystripe shook his head. "Why didn't you go take care of the elders?"

Curling her lip, Hollypaw had to fight to hold in her temper. "You didn't tell me to," she gritted out. "You told me to wait for you."

"And you slept instead." His tone made it a statement of fact, not a question.

Twisting her head away sharply, Hollypaw snarled softly. "Sorry," she spat out, not feeling sorry at all.

Graystripe, patient as ever, sighed tightly. "It's fine," he muttered. "We can make up for it now. You can go out and hunt for the elders."

"But it's sunset!" She flicked her tail irritably. "I can't hunt at night! All the prey will be asleep!"

"Then you should have thought about that before you put yourself before the Clan," Graystripe shot back, his eyes fierce.

Hollypaw backed down, her ears flat against her head. _First my father and now my mentor, _she growled. _Anyone else want to take a snap at me?_

"You aren't to come home until you find something to fill Longtail's belly. Do you understand?"

"What I don't understand is why you're so mad at me," she hissed. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Graystripe closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you'll figure it out when you're hunting. Go." He opened his eyes to see that Hollypaw hadn't moved. "Now, Hollypaw!"

Baring her teeth to herself, Hollypaw whisked around and stalked across the clearing, ignoring Briarpelt's cheerful mew. "Hey!" the brown she-cat protested. "What's wrong, Hollypaw?"

"Leave me alone, Briarpelt," she snapped. "I'm not in any mood to talk to anyone."

"Okay." Briarpelt fell into step beside Hollypaw, ignorant as ever to Hollypaw's protests. "I'll talk to you then. How about that? Looks like you really set off my father. It normally takes more than that to upset him. You must have really pulled his whiskers. I guess I have no choice but to come with you now."

_Shut up! _Hollypaw railed. _Leave me alone!_

"Four eyes are better than two, after all," Briarpelt was mewing. "We'll be able to catch enough prey for all the elders that way. I mean, I _am _a great hunter. Best of my littermates, if you can believe it. You should have seen the prey I pulled in when I was your age. The elders were as plump as baby rabbits."

_I'm so sure_, Hollypaw thought blandly.

"Why don't we head towards the ShadowClan border?" Briarpelt suggested suddenly. "There's not as much snow there since it's higher ground. I think that would be a great idea, don't you?" She paused, turning to look at the sullen Hollypaw. "I think so, too," she swept on, as if Hollypaw had given her an answer.

"Why not?" Hollypaw mewed breezily. "I mean, you should know best, wouldn't you? You _are _the best hunter in ThunderClan, after all."

"You're right," Briarpelt agreed, raising her chin infuriatingly. Looking down at Hollypaw, she narrowed her eyes teasingly. "Apprentices these days are just too weak."

"I'm not weak," she spat, despite herself.

Briarpelt smirked, and Hollypaw cursed herself internally. _Stupid she-cat! _"You know, when you do that you look just like your brother."

"Do what?" The path underpaw was hard and icy underneath, and a probing wind had picked up, threading through Hollypaw's fluffy fur and chilling her.

"Overreact like that." Briarpelt cut off Hollypaw's protests with a quick hiss. "Do you smell that?"

Still bitter, Hollypaw lifted her muzzle and scented the air: sharp and tangy ShadowClan scent overlaid a more appealing smell--mouse. "Yeah, there is it," she whispered, crouching down to press her belly into the ice-crisped leaves. She could barely see the mouse's pink nose poking out of a pile of dead pine needles in the dying light behind her. She crept forward, her eyes locked on the mouse. It was leaf-bare scrawny, she thought, but it still should be enough to fill Longtail's belly. _Let's see you complain about this, Graystripe. _With a waggle of her haunches and a flying leap, she caught the mouse between her outstretched claws and bit its neck quickly, turning around to proudly show Briarpelt that she wasn't weak.

But Briarpelt was staring at something over Hollypaw's shoulder, her amber eyes wide with shock. Hollypaw whirled around, dropping the mouse to the ground to keep her fangs free in case she had to defend herself, but it was just one ginger cat, green eyes as wide as Briarpelt's behind her.

Briarpelt took a step backwards. "Flameleap," she breathed.

"Hello, Briarpelt," the tom said coolly, dropping his mouthful of herbs on the ground. "How's the prey running?"

"Obviously fine," Hollypaw put in, placing a paw over the still-warm body of the mouse. "You're the medicine cat, aren't you?"

But Flameleap didn't reply--his eyes were fixed on Briarpelt. "Is this your apprentice?" he asked, his voice uneven, as if he had been running.

"N-no, my father's," Briarpelt stuttered, then added a heartbeat too late, "Her name is Hollypaw."

"Nice to meet you," the medicine cat mewed, swiftly looking down at Hollypaw and then away again. "I saw you at the last Gathering, I think. Lionstar's kit?"

"Yes," Hollypaw answered, glancing back and forth between Flameleap and Briarpelt. "What's going on? Why are you so close to the border?" She tried to make herself sound like a warrior--in charge--since Briarpelt seemed distracted for some reason.

"Why don't you run along back to camp?" Flameleap said, sounding like it edged more towards a threat than a suggestion. "I have a message for you to deliver to Lionstar."

Hollypaw curled her lip. "Briarpelt," she hissed. "He's on our territory."

"She's right." Briarpelt snapped back to attention, blinking rapidly. "You can't be here. Enemy warriors are not welcome here."

Flameleap started at the word "enemy," as if a bee had stung him. "Fine, I see. I guess I'll see you later then." His eyes were hard.

"Hopefully not," Briarpelt growled, her voice as hard as his expression.

"Fine," Flameleap snapped.

"Fine!" Briarpelt whirled around, her amber eyes fierce. "Come on, Hollypaw. We're going back to camp."

"B-but you said we would hunt!" Now that she was actually out here, she didn't want to go home. The cold forest was more welcoming than the camp.

"Well, we have to go home." The words were clipped. "I'm older, so I'm in charge." She marched away without a backward glance at the ginger ShadowClan cat.

Flameleap's eyes were closed, and he looked tired. "Goodbye, Briarpelt," he muttered, almost too soft for Hollypaw to hear. He turned and disappeared back into the shadowy depths of his territory silently.

Confused, Hollypaw dashed up to Briarpelt, who's pelt was bristling. "What was that about?" she demanded, glaring up at the brown she-cat.

"What was what about?"

"That!" Hollypaw gestured behind her with a sweep of her tail.

"An enemy warrior too close to our border, that's what." But Briarpelt's voice left no room for argument. "Remember this, Hollypaw: you can't trust anyone but cats in ThunderClan. You hear me?" Her voice was insistent.

Hollypaw flattened her ears_. That's what the warrior code says anyway_, she thought_. Why would she tell me this again_? Then, turning her head over her shoulder, she saw a clump of ginger fur blowing delicately in the icy breeze. _They must be rivals, _she realized. _They could have met in battle or...something. I don't know_. And she turned her back on the ShadowClan border, following the icy calm Briarpelt back to camp with their small bit of prey. Only once she got all the way back to camp did she remember Flameleap saying he had a message for Lionstar.

* * *

**Hollypaw is so clueless. I think I love that about her. ^.^**

**OMG, guys. I just watched Flashforward. Was it not the most epically epic thing ever? I was rapt the whole time--so, so cool. **

**So-- Hold on. I have noticed of late that most of my sentences start with "So." I don't really know why this is, but it appears that I need to find a new word to start my sentences off with. From now on, all of my bland sentences will start with "hence" instead. All good?**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	10. Chapter 9

**I've been dying to write this chapter and finally get some freaking plot into this fic. All of my chapters have just been filler, filler, filler, and it's incredibly irritating. So...here's some plot! :D**

**GinnyStar - Glad to hear you're enjoying it! That makes me all giddy. :P**

**Lightkit - Haha, I think it's more likely I'm _your _senpai. :P**

**icethroat21 - Aaaw, now I'm gonna be starting all my sentences will "well." Thanks a lot, Icy. XD**

**xXPantheraXx - Oooh, like an original story? Are you doing NaNo, by chance? Tall person...darn you. T-T**

**Iced Skim Decaf Mocha Latte - OKAY! :P**

**Fwishy-Fwashy-Fwalala - I do love to give you nicknames, Fwirl-nonkohai. It makes me lol to myself like a crazy person. ^.^ And read some Ouran, dangit! :P**

**xxSnowfirexx - Thanks! And yes, immensely. I really like Lisa Kelly's voice, mainly because she does "Send Me a Song" and "You Raise Me Up," both of which I absolutely adore. I wanted to buy their other CD, as I only have the blue one who's name escapes me, but I saw the _Newsies _soundtrack and had to make a tough decision. XD Tis a great musical, btw, but sadly, almost no one has heard of it. **

* * *

"Come on, Amberpaw," Sorreltail snapped, out of breath from her last attempted lunge. "You're not concentrating. Pay attention!"

"Okay, okay," Amberpaw panted, leaning off of her injured paw, which was throbbing with pain. "Sorry, Sorreltail." She paced forward, keeping her weight low over her paws as best she could.

"Wrong." Sorreltail straightened, her eyes edging towards impatient. "Evenly distribute your weight. You're fumbling around like a half-stunned rabbit! I've taught you better than this!"

Amberpaw was stung. "Sorry," she spit out again, her ears flat. "I trod on a thorn, alright? Sorry that I can't keep up with your _high expectations_!" The words came out with more venom than she intended, and she saw her mentor's eyes flash. _Mouse dung, _she cursed.

Sorreltail sighed, a short, angry sound. "I wonder what's going on with you," she said briskly. "For the past quarter moon, you've been nothing but irritable and short with everyone. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

_Like the fact that I had a dream that told me I was going to die? _Amberpaw thought bitterly. _Or the fact that this gouge on my paw hasn't healed or showed any signs of getting better? How about the fact that I can't tell this to anyone ever—not even my littermates or friends? _But she stayed silent, not expressing the words that were already half-formed on her tongue. "No," she answered at last.

"I see," was all that Sorreltail said, her eyes shrewdly fixed on her apprentice. "Well then, you can come with the border patrol, I suppose. Since it doesn't look like you're interested in battle practice today. You've spent the past three moons begging for this, and yet..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "Meet me back at the camp; I have to go check on something." She turned and padded away quickly, her tail lashing behind her.

Amberpaw waited until her mentor was out of sight before turning her back to the entrance and flipping over her paw. The cut hadn't gotten any bigger, but it seemed to be deeper, the skin red and raw around the edges. Blood seeped from beneath the hasty cobwebs she had plastered over it, pressing out through the edges as dark red beads.

Her breath caught in her chest. _Why is this happening? _she panicked, turning her paw over and looking away. _What does this mean, StarClan? _She gulped, getting to her paws and starting to head back to camp, wincing with every other step. She was just going to have to fake it, she rationed—make the others think she was okay and fine. Then she would have to find a cure...maybe ask Leafpool for herbs or something...

"Amberpaw, watch it!" Cloudtail stepped back quickly, shaking out his long white pelt. Brightheart and Icepelt gave Amberpaw curious looks from where they stood behind him.

Amberpaw blinked, seeing too late that she had nearly collided with the senior warrior. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't see you there."

Brightheart twitched her whiskers. "That's not hard to believe," she mewed good-naturedly. "I mean, you do blend in with the snow!"

Icepelt purred in agreement. "Me too!"

Amberpaw quickly placed her wounded paw on the ground, ignoring the sharp sear of pain that shot up her leg. "I guess I was just thinking about the border patrol next," she quickly mewed. "Sorreltail wants me to go on the patrol to ShadowClan."

"Ah, yes," said Cloudtail, looking thoughtful. "Ferncloud's patrol picked up on some strong ShadowClan scent on our side of the border." His blue eyes sparked. "They should know better than to mess with us. We'll defend every pawstep of this territory."

"Lionstar doesn't want to risk a battle," Brightheart reasoned. "He learned from Hollystar's mistakes."

Amberpaw tilted her head, falling in step with the patrol. "Did she try to make battles a lot or something?"

Icepelt nodded. "She launched an attack on RiverClan that resulted in their leader's death," she informed her, her eyes hard. "And she also had us attack WindClan for revenge."

"Several times," Brightheart amended.

"Well, she's dead now," Cloudtail growled harshly. "Lionstar's got more spine than most leaders now. Did you see at the Gathering how Mistystar snapped at Onestar? As if any cat should even try to pick a fight with that tom. He's crazy. I'm surprised his Clan hasn't pitched him out yet."

Amberpaw narrowed her eyes, a growl low in her throat. The cut across her head when Onestar had sliced her pulsed twice, quickly, like a heartbeat. Alarmed, she shook her head swiftly but the sensation faded.

"They can't do that," Brightheart mewed softly. "We didn't do that with Hollystar. She led us well for the most part, then—"

"Then she decided to go stark-raving crazy," Icepelt finished, her tail flicking. "Now she's just a tale to frighten kits with!"

"Enough of that," Cloudtail mewed, shouldering his way through the entrance. "You know Lionstar doesn't like to hear about her."

Icepelt looked at him blandly. "Uh-huh."

Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were pacing around the clearing slowly, Brambleclaw leaning on his mate's shoulder. Amberpaw could still see the rippling scars that laced up and down his foreleg; she had heard the stories about how he had heroically tried to save Firestar, ending up losing his deputyship and his ability to walk well himself. He was getting better, she thought, but he still would never be able to keep up with a patrol.

Amberpaw mewed her goodbyes, rushing over to Redpaw, who was sitting by himself in a patch of sunlight, idly pushing a vole around. Its pale fur was stiff with frost. "Hey," she mewed breathlessly.

Redpaw looked astonished. "Are you speaking to me?" he asked, eyes wide.

She frowned. "Looks that way, doesn't it?" she sneered, but inside felt a spark of panic. Had she really been that distant for the past few days? "Sorry," she apologized when Redpaw looked angry. "I'm just a little crabby today."

"Why don't you sit down and eat?" he suggested, quickly over it. He pushed his vole towards her with one paw.

As unappetizing as it looked, Amberpaw knew not to refuse. She had already insulted him once today, and he was being uncharacteristically lenient. "Thanks," she mewed, reaching out to grab it.

Redpaw pounced in that same heartbeat, slamming his paws around hers. She yelped in surprise, trying to yank her paw back, but her brother had already sank his claws into her thick fur, pressing her paw against the ground. She gritted her teeth as pain lanced up her paw.

"Stop it!" she hissed, but he wouldn't listen. His blue eyes were blank with shock when he flipped her paw over, exposing the ragged-edged cobwebs stretched taut over the wound.

"What is this?" he demanded, looking closely at it. He lifted his head and locked eyes with her, making her look away uncomfortably.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"I thought you said you stepped on a thorn!"

"I did," she answered quickly, her mind racing. "It must have gotten infected or something."

His eyes were still round. "You need to go see Leafpool," he gasped. "I'll go get her!"

"No!" Amberpaw latched her claws in her brother's fur, pulling him back into a sitting position. "Leave her out of this. This has nothing to do with her."

"What? She's the medicine cat," Redpaw snapped. "She deals with the injuries in the Clan, you know. I think this is exactly her business."

"Leave well enough alone, Redpaw," Amberpaw grumbled. "I didn't tell you for this very reason. You don't need to nag at me like a queen."

His eyes narrowed. "Sorry for being concerned about you then," he ground out. "I guess it wouldn't be the same in my case, would it? I mean," he swept on, ignoring his sister's interruption, "there's _no way_ that you would be concerned if I was in your position. Right?" His tone was crisp.

His words hit home. Amberpaw dropped her gaze and let go of his fur. "Whatever. Tell whoever you want, then. You'll do what you want to, anyway."

Redpaw scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Give me a break, Amberpaw. As if I would do that. If you don't want to tell anyone, then I won't tell anyone." His gaze became sharper as he added, "But I'll keep _nagging_ you, as you say, until it's healed."

_If it _does_ heal. _The thought filled her with an nameless trepidation.

Redpaw sighed, getting to his paws and stretching, curling his tail and pressing his chest against the ground, his shoulders tight. His fur gleamed in the patch of light like fire, and Amberpaw wondered distantly if Firestar looked like this. "Are you on the patrol to ShadowClan?" he asked her, shaking his pelt loose.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she blinked. "Yes. Do you know who else is on it?"

Redpaw looked amused. "You mean you don't know? They're all over there...waiting for you."

Alarmed, Amberpaw whirled around, seeing Spiderleg's irritable expression. Whitewing and Berrynose flanked him, with Rainpaw poking his nose from around their flanks. Wheeling back to her brother, she gave him a sympathetic glance.

He purred, blinking happily. "It's fine; go on. Tell me all about it when you get back." The double meaning in his words was off-setting, but nonetheless, Amberpaw pressed her nose into his ginger shoulder fur briefly before racing over to the patrol.

"StarClan, I thought you were just going to chat there forever," Spiderleg grumbled, taking the lead out of the camp and through the icy forest. "Taking your sweet time."

"Hey now," Whitewing scolded. "Leave her alone. She was talking to her brother."

Spiderleg's expression turned sour. "That's no excuse to keep everyone waiting."

Whitewing just purred, amused. "I guess you've forgotten what it was like to be an apprentice, Spiderleg," she mewed cheerfully. "Taking care of the elders and tending to kits...mouse bile and fetching moss!" She sighed, lost in memories, her eyes misting over. "Birchfall and I fetched so much moss for the elders, but then again, that's when Mousefur was still with us, StarClan rest her spirit."

Berrynose looked solemn. "That's the way I want to go out," he meowed. "A nice old elder snug in my nest and surrounded by friends." He closed her eyes as if to picture it, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Rainpaw, who had been silent the whole way, tilted his head. "I thought the most honorable way to die is in battle. Right?"

Spiderleg puffed out his chest. "That's right. No better way to die than to die in service of the Clan."

"Coming from the tom who's going to live to be the oldest elder in the Clan someday," Whitewing teased.

Spiderleg snorted and said nothing.

Amberpaw sighed. _Am I going to live to be an elder? Or is this curse going to steal my life before that? _She shook her head.

"All good?" Rainpaw asked, leaning in.

"I'm fine," she responded, but the sound edged more towards a snarl, and Rainpaw edged away. _Is this part of it, too? _She demanded of herself, knowing she couldn't answer the question. _Is my life going to leech away while I push away those around me? _

Spiderleg stopped abruptly, his ears pricked. "Did you hear that?" he asked in a soft voice.

Whitewing tilted her head, opening her jaws to scent the air. "No? What was it?"

But Spiderleg was intent now, crossing the clearing up to the ShadowClan border, walking along the edge of it impatiently. "It sounded like Twolegs," he growled.

Amberpaw gasped. "But," she stuttered, "Twolegs only come in greenleaf! At least, that's what Sorreltail tells me."

Rainpaw's eyes were serious. "What are we going to do?"

Berrynose looked as impatient as Spiderleg did. "We need to go check it out, that's what. Spiderleg, what do you want to do?"

The black and brown tom curled his lip. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I'd remember the sound of monsters anywhere."

"Monsters?" Amberpaw echoed.

"Twoleg beasts," Rainpaw whispered. "Brightly-colored and smelly. They ride inside their bellies, and the monsters move all around for them."

She shuddered away from the mental image his words formed—a creature with a gleaming hide and dripping fangs, faceless monsters visible behind the fierce, glowing eyes of the beast. "Do they eat them?"

Rainpaw shrugged. "I don't know; I've never seen one."

Whitewing draped her tail across Rainpaw's shoulder, pulling him towards her like he was a small kit instead of a broad-shouldered apprentice. "I don't think this is right," she mewed firmly. "We should go back to camp and tell Lionstar."

Berrynose scoffed. "Lionstar will just send us back out to investigate anyway," he snapped. "We'd waste time doing that. And besides," he swept on, seeing Whitewing open her mouth to protest, "we'd be protecting the Clan by doing it." His pale blue gaze swept over Rainpaw quickly.

"Why don't you take the two apprentices back to camp?" Spiderleg suggested. "You can tell Lionstar we went on ahead."

Whitewing flattened her ears. "So you think all the she-cats should go home and take care of kits, Spiderleg?"

Spiderleg seemed to regret his words, his amber eyes flashing. "N-no," he mewed. "I didn't say that."

"I'm not a kit," Amberpaw put in, feeling another pang from her paw. _I can walk a little farther, _she rationed.

Whitewing's green eyes were still narrowed, but she turned away to Rainpaw. "You and Amberpaw head back to camp. This is for warriors."

"I'll be a warrior in another two moons," Rainpaw said calmly, but irritation flashed through his eyes like a bolt of lightning. "I've had enough training."

"That's not the point," Whitewing snapped in exasperation. "I want you to go back to camp!" Her words rang with more than just a simple order.

Amberpaw was confused by her vehemence, but shook her head. "We don't even know if it's a threat, right?" she asked nervously. "Why can't we all just go?"

At that moment, the scent of ShadowClan intensified, searing Amberpaw's nostrils, as a white bundle of fur shot out of the undergrowth on the border.

Windpaw looked confusedly at the arguing patrol. "Well," he mewed in surprise, "that was easier than I thought it would be."

"Apprentice!" Spiderleg spat. "You better have a good reason for tresspasssing!"

Windpaw was panting heavily, his striped flank spattered with drops of blood. "No, I just thought I would take a causal stroll. Funny how I wound up here, huh?"

Berrynose pulled his lips back from his teeth angrily. "Get out!"

"Wait!" Amberpaw cried, moving towards Windpaw, who was watching her with those strange pale blue eyes of his. "He's injured! Look at his flanks! He's covered with blood!"

"Not mine." Despite being out of breath, Windpaw still had enough air in his lungs to be smug. "We've been ambushed by Twolegs. They have strange monsters...flinging up rocks and sticks. I've never seen anything like it," he mewed quickly. "ShadowClan...requests ThunderClan's help." He winced, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. "Rowanstar sent me to go and ask Lionstar for aid."

"No need," Spiderleg growled. "We're already here." Flipping his head over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes at Rainpaw, clearly thinking hard. "You go back to camp and fetch Lionstar. Tell him that ShadowClan has been attacked, and that we'll meet him on ShadowClan territory. Where?" he demanded, turning back to Windpaw.

"The opposite end of our territory," he answered promptly. "Near RiverClan's border."

"Why didn't you ask them for help?" Whitewing asked quickly. "They're closer to you."

Windpaw's eyes sparked. "I'm just following orders, I don't make them. Rowanstar knows what he's doing."

But despite his words, Amberpaw couldn't help but notice the way his eyes darkened as he said them. Was ShadowClan fighting with RiverClan? "Why should ThunderClan help?" Amberpaw demanded. "What do we owe ShadowClan?"

At her words, Spiderleg shot her a swift glance, and Berrynose shook his head once, hard. Windpaw looked livid, and Whitewing just looked faintly embarrassed. "Amberpaw, don't talk about what you don't know. ShadowClan have been our allies many times before."

A hot flush of embarrassment heated her pelt, and she dropped her gaze, but not before seeing the gleam in Windpaw's. _Stupid tom, _she cursed.

"Rainpaw, go," Spiderleg mewed, and the dark-speckled apprentice took off like a bird in flight. "You, apprentice—"

"It's Windpaw," the ShadowClan tom interrupted.

"Windpaw, then." Spiderleg curled his lip. "Lead the way."

Windpaw dipped his head in mock-respect, turning around and darting back into his own territory, his white pelt like a flash of mist in the darkness. Amberpaw's first steps onto ShadowClan territory were a nerve racking experience; the soft snow underpaw quickly disappeared in favor of icy pine needles that crunched under her paws like dead leaves. They were significantly softer on her injured paw, and she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Hurt your paw, ThunderClan?"

The sudden voice made her jump. She twisted her head sideways to see Windpaw watching her, his eyes hard yet somehow amused. "No," she mewed fiercely.

"You're limping," he pointed out.

"I must have just scraped it or something," she growled, trying to ignore him.

"Hm," was all he said, but he fell into step beside her.

"Shouldn't you be leading?" she demanded.

He looked over at her, his expression light. "Does it look like I need to lead? Use your nose, ThunderClan."

"Don't call me that," she snapped, bristling. "It's Amberpaw, not ThunderClan."

"Amberpaw," he echoed, as if he were trying the sound. "That's an unusual name."

"So is Windpaw. I thought cats weren't named after the Clans."

He shrugged, weaving around a sprawling clump of roots. "I guess my father thought otherwise."

"Your father named you?"

"Is that so odd? Didn't your father help to name you?" he asked, his pelt slicked flat by the wind, dotting with flakes of snow that only showed up on his gray tabby stripes.

Amberpaw frowed. "He named my sister, I know...but I don't know if he named me."

"Must be nice to have a Clan leader father," Windpaw mocked. "I'm _sure_ you don't get preferential treatment."

"Of course not!" she snapped, irritated by this time. "Lionstar is a fair leader!"

"Sure, sure," he muttered, his eyes narrowed. "He's so _fair._" His words were filled with venom.

Amberpaw glared over at him, but saw, shockingly, that his stiff facade was gone, replaced by some strange emotion like jealousy. "What—"

"Twolegs!" Spiderleg jolted to a stop, his amber eyes wide. "I...I can't believe it."

Dread laying heavy in her chest, Amberpaw leaned around him to see an impossibly high _something—_she had no idea what to call it—loomed overhead, higher than the trees surrounding it. It snorted and growled, puffing out black smoke that smelled revoltingly acrid, like something rotting. "What...what is it?" she whispered.

"The enemy," Windpaw said in a deadpan voice, before something screeched, high-pitched and groaning like something wounded, and the sky ripped apart.

* * *

**Now I'm off to watch _Eagle Eye_. Shia LeBoeuf... -drools- He's so awesome and pretty. **

**Also, it seems that I failed my 50K in one month thing, as today is the last day. I do like to write, but I don't think I could write 15K more words in two hours. ^.^' So I'll try again this month, I suppose!**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	11. Chapter 10

**Ugh. This chapter sucks, like, a lot. I hate it. It's stupid and lame and badly-written and crap. But I don't wanna rewrite it, basically because I'm lazy, so I'll just stick to whining about it. ;)**

**GinnyStar - Thankies! It's really difficult to describe the monster, actually. I didn't think it would be, but as I have to use cat terms, it makes the description a little lacking. In my mind's eye, the monster looks kinda like one of those ones with the arm and the shovel thing on the end, y'know? Backhoe? Maybe? I dunno. ;)**

**icethroat21 - I prevailed in not putting "well" or "so" at the beginning of a sentence! I'm on my way to word-overuse recovery! -yays- Yeah, I was actually thinking about putting something like "lalalala" over and over again as a joke chapter, but then I decided nah. I wouldn't tease you guys like that. ;)**

**xxSnowfirexx - They are amazing, true enough. And the really awesome part is that they sound just as good if not better live than they do recorded. The only other people I've seen do that are Reba and Michael Jackson. But no, no one's losing their territory. I think that would exhaust all my brain's supply of creativity if I had to make them move. **

**Fwishsticks - I am indeed crazy, but it's okay, because you're crazy, too, and you know it, Fwirl-_kohai. _:D:D**

**Lightkit - Well...the sky didn't really rip apart. ^.^' But I just love using that expression, don't you? XD **

**Onto the story~  
**

* * *

"Get out of the way!" Whitewing screeched, shoving Amberpaw to the side. Yelping with shock, Amberpaw followed her quickly into a clump of snow-covered gorse, her pelt fluffed up with fear.

"What is that?" she gasped, pressing herself against the ground.

But Whitewing wasn't listening. She ran her nose along Amberpaw's flank, her eyes wide and scared. "Are you alright? Did you get hit?"

"Hit by what?" Amberpaw whispered, shaking. "What's happening?"

"Twolegs." Spiderleg pressed in on Amberpaw's other side, Berrynose right beside him. "They're here with their monsters doing StarClan knows what to the forest." His eyes gleamed in the half-light.

"What are we going to do?" Whitewing pulled Amberpaw against her shoulder like she was her own kit, and Amberpaw wondered distantly if the white queen somehow thought she was Rainpaw. "This is madness!"

Spiderleg sighed, a tight, unhappy sound. "I don't know," he admitted. "Twolegs haven't been here with their monsters for as long as I can remember. If this goes badly...well, you know what happened in the old forest."

Whitewing closed her eyes, her breath catching. "Let's hope it's not that."

Amberpaw didn't know what they were talking about, and neither did Berrynose by the look of it. His blue eyes were full of anger and fright. "What are we going to do?" he hissed. "We can't just hide under here like mice." He got to his paws, peering out a gap in the thorns. "I don't see any Twolegs," he reported. "Just their monster."

Spiderleg weaved around Amberpaw to stand next to him, narrowing his eyes against the foul wind the monster was kicking up. "I've never seen a monster like that before. It's not one of the usual ones they go around in." He shook his head. "It's throwing rocks and mud all over the place."

"There's ShadowClan," Berrynose hissed, gesturing with his muzzle. "Rowanstar and...well, I guess that's his deputy. Big black tom."

"Smokefoot," Whitewing mewed absently, running her tongue over her dry lips. "Are we going to talk to them?"

But at that instant, the two ShadowClan cats ducked under the cover, their flanks crisscrossed with shallow scrapes. A gouge on Rowanstar's throat was slowly trickling blood.

"So," he mewed tiredly, "you came."

"We did. Your apprentice found us on the border." Spiderleg's voice was tight. "What's the plan?"

Rowanstar exchanged a look with his deputy. "We have none," he admitted grudgingly. "We have no idea what to do."

Berrynose scoffed. "Well that's helpful," he snapped. "Isn't it great that we called reinforcements here so we can all sit around and watch as the crazy Twolegs rip up your territory?"

Smokefoot growled. "We're here to discuss tactics," he said in a deep mew. "We remember when Twolegs destroyed our camp back in the old forest. ThunderClan helped us then."

"I remember," Spiderleg said stiffly. "How long have they been here?"

"Not long," Rowanstar answered. "A day maybe, or less. One of our patrols heard the sound this morning and immediately returned and reported it."

"Well, the best we can do is wait for the rest of our patrol to show up." Whitewing nodded, seemingly back in control of herself. "They'll be here shortly."

"I'm not sure how much that will help."

"Then why did you call for us in the first place?" Spiderleg snapped. "You should have left us out of this. These Twolegs are too far away to be any trouble to _us._"

Amberpaw twitched her whiskers scornfully. _You scolded me when I said that a few moments ago, Spiderleg. _

Rowanstar's amber eyes blazed. "What do you expect me to do?" he hissed. "I've been leader for barely two moons now!"

"So has Lionstar, and you don't see him mewling about it like a kit," Berrynose said aggressively, moving forward nose-to-nose with the broad-shouldered deputy.

Smokefoot curled his lip. "You best stand down, kit," he snarled softly. "ShadowClan do not take lightly to filthy soft-bloods like yourself."

Berrynose's ears flattened against his head and he let out a low hiss. "Still getting challenged for that, huh?" he demanded. "I'd rather have kittypet blood than rancid ShadowClan blood. I might turn out as rotten and foul as you, rat-face."

"Stop it!" Whitewing got to her paws, motioning for Amberpaw to scramble up next to her. "This isn't solving anything!" She stepped between the almost-battling cats, forcing Berrynose's chin towards the hole in the gorse wall. "The enemy is out there," she growled.

Berrynose yanked away from her, his pelt bristling angrily.

Rowanstar didn't say anything to his deputy. "We shall wait until dear Lionstar gets here, then. I mean, what's a few Twolegs and their monster to the tom who single-pawedly took down the tyrant, Hollystar?"

_Maybe all ShadowClan cats have to cover up their weaknesses with sarcasm and taunts_, Amberpaw thought, pulling away from Whitewing slightly in case any warriors saw her; she didn't want to seem weak to these ShadowClan cats. "Whitewing," she mewed, "what—"

"_Don't_!" Rowanstar screeched suddenly, lunging away to the peekhole. "Get back here!"

Amberpaw whirled around, startled, to see a flash of white running out of the gorse behind them.

Windpaw.

His eyes were narrowed with anger and hate, and his lips were drawn back from his gleaming fangs. He ignored his leader's voice, cutting an angle out of the woods and straight towards the monster.

Without even pausing to think, Amberpaw tore her way out of the brambles, launching herself in three bounds across the space that separated them and knocked Windpaw clean off his paws, barreling him into the base of a tree and out of sight of the monster. Her breath whooshed out of her, and she curled into a small ball, fighting for air.

Windpaw was struggling to get away, but Amberpaw pressed him tight against the rough bark of the tree. "Let me go, idiot!" he railed, twisting sharply. "Moron! Stupid-minded she-cat!"

"No," she rasped. "You'll be killed! Call me all the names you want, but I'm not letting you go out there and die."

Windpaw froze in place, his eyes wide and locked on hers. "What does that matter if I die?" he mewed bitterly. "I'm already _nothing_. I was born nothing, so I might as well try to make myself something—even if it's just trying to get rid of that!" He motioned with his chin to the monster.

She sank her claws into his fur, shaking her head. "You're not," she panted. "You're not nothing. Every cat has worth." She thought back, suddenly and vividly, to the dream she had—the gleaming surface of the shivering globe of colors has reflected her own scared face, the face of a cat who had nearly given up on hope. _I'm a hypocrite, _she realized.

"Don't speak as if you know me," he spat, drawing her back to the present, whacking at her claws with a sheathed forepaw. "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know enough to know you're an idiot!" she snapped. "What in StarClan's name are you thinking?! You really think one cat will get rid of that? You think one cat can change something? Well, they can't! There are some things that you just can't fix!" The words exploded out of her without her permission, all her anger and frustration and terror pouring out in that single statement. Pulling herself away from Windpaw, she choked on a sob.

He scrambled to his paws, looking at her strangely, his expression unreadable.

If he was Redpaw or Hollypaw, she knew how he would react. _Oh sure, _he would say, rolling his eyes. _You would say that, wouldn't you, Amberpaw? You're always so concerned with everyone else, running around thinking the sky is going to crash on your ears. You're such a pessimist—always looking at the fresh-kill pile as half-empty. _

But he wasn't Redpaw or Hollypaw, and she had no idea how he was going to react.

He narrowed his eyes finally. "I used to believe that," he said unexpectedly. "But ever since... Well, now I think differently," he backtracked. "Everything can be changed."

Amberpaw gaped for a heartbeat, then scoffed bitterly, turning her back on him. "You're wrong," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "Sometimes you can't change a thing." Frustration weighed in her belly like a stone, pulling her shoulders down as she quickly darted back across and under the gorse. To her surprise, Windpaw followed behind her.

No cats were waiting under the thorn bush. Confused, Amberpaw pressed her nose against one of the dead stems, trying her luck for a trace of scent, even with the monster's breath fouling up the air.

"Amberpaw!"

Turning around, she saw that the battle patrol had arrived. Lionstar padded right up to Rowanstar, who was waiting with a distinctly disdainful expression. Cloudtail and Graystripe paced irritably, their mates, Brightheart and Millie, looking on, while Foxclaw, Hazeltail, Poppyfrost, and Rosefall were watching the monster with wide eyes. Hollypaw and Rainpaw were just behind them, and even from this distance, Amberpaw could see the irritated look in her sister's eyes, knowing that she couldn't wait to sink her claws into some Twoleg skin.

"Amberpaw!" she called, weaving past a pair of dark gray ShadowClan warriors to stand beside her sister. "I saw you go after him! What in StarClan's name did you do that for?"

Windpaw, regrettably, was still in earshot. "Nice, ThunderClan," he said blandly. "I'm glad that you value my existence so much. It really warms my heart."

Hollypaw glared at him, before turning back to Amberpaw. "Lionstar decided to try and run around the back of it," she whispered excitedly. "We're going to get to see that thing from all angles!"

Amberpaw shivered. "I've seen enough of it."

Windpaw smirked. "I can't wait to see how we're going to get rid of it," he put in.

"Was anyone talking to you, stink-pelt?" Hollypaw demanded rudely. "I didn't think so."

"ShadowClan value each other's opinions," he retorted, his pale eyes gleaming. "ThunderClan obviously let only the morons speak."

"Why you little—" Hollypaw made a furious motion, but Amberpaw pressed against her sister's pelt.

"Steady, steady," she whispered into her ear fur. "He's just an annoyance."

Windpaw flattened his ears, but said nothing, turning away sourly. "Oh, fox dung," he hissed suddenly, getting to his paws.

Rowanstar stepped forward at once and whacked him, hard, across the ear. "Idiot!" he hissed. "You can't just go charging out there! If Huntsong was here..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Well, Huntsong isn't here," Windpaw grumbled, but he looked ashamed.

"Charging up to that thing like that...you could have _died! _How would I have explained that to her then?" Rowanstar sighed tightly. "You better make up for yourself in this battle."

"I will," Windpaw promised fiercely.

Rowanstar nodded, seeming pleased, then stepped back to bend his head near Lionstar's.

"Is Huntsong your mentor?" Amberpaw asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"No," Windpaw grumbled. "She's my mother."

"Not even out of Mother's nest yet, stink-pelt?" Hollypaw teased.

Windpaw whirled towards her, his eyes alight with anger. "Shut up!" he snapped. "Don't talk about what you don't understand!" He turned around and marched back over to his Clanmates, his tail lashing from side to side.

Hollypaw lifted her head victoriously.

"Why do you have to annoy him like that?" Amberpaw sighed wearily. "You irritate the pelts off of every cat you come across."

Hollypaw shrugged. "It's my inborn talent, I suppose," she joked, but Amberpaw could tell her mind was on something else. Sure enough, she added, "Do you think we're going to go soon?"

"I hope so," Amberpaw meowed. "I want to get this over before I catch a chill. It's freezing out here!" She laid down on her belly, wincing as the pine needles scraped over her sore paw. Surreptitiously, she pressed her paw into a small pile of snow, sighing in relief as the cold began to numb it.

"Redpaw was dying to come," Hollypaw informed her, settling down as well. "Lionstar made him stay home and 'guard the camp.'" She put on an imitation of their brother's lower voice. "'But I want to come and help you, too! Let me come and fight the Twolegs! I can drive them away!'" Hollypaw laughed. "As if."

Amberpaw joined in on her sister's laughter, but her mind was on Windpaw. _I'm nothing, he said, _she thought, nodding in response to whatever Hollypaw was going on about. _I wonder why he thinks that. He didn't really talk about his mother in a good light, but is that enough that he doesn't care whether he lives or dies?_

"—and then I boxed his ears," Hollypaw finished, turning to Amberpaw to see if she was laughing.

Amberpaw, a heartbeat too late, let out a single chuckle.

Hollypaw frowned. "You weren't listening," she accused.

Deciding to be truthful, she shook her head. "Nope."

Hollypaw considered this for a moment, then brightened. "Well, it was a stupid story anyway."

_Never one to be put down, I guess. You're a luckier cat than I am. _Amberpaw felt a sudden chill grip her heart. _When have I become so cynical? _

"Get out of the way!" Windpaw came dashing towards them, his eyes wide and shocked. "Get up, get up!"

"What?" she gasped, wheeling around to see what he was looking at. Her heart plummeted.

The monster let out a rippling snarl, letting out a puff of acrid smoke at the same moment that it wrenched its claws from the cold ground and sent a blackthorn-sharp shard of rock flying straight at her face.

* * *

**I think that though Windpaw might be a grouchy, smart-mouthed, annoying little toerag, he is also ten kinds of awesome because I based him off of this incredibly cool character from The Mortal Instruments trilogy. If you haven't read them, GO GET THEM RIGHT NOW AND DEVOUR THEIR KNOWLEDGE! Seriously, they changed my life. True story.**

**;)**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	12. Chapter 11

**It seems like it's been a long time since I updated this. My bad--I've been working on my HDM fic for the past few days. I'm almost done with that, 'cause I wanna be done with both of these fics before November. Either that or there's gonna be a month-long gap between updates. NaNo, y'know. Also, I have a new obsession with the internet movie _Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. _If you haven't seen it, go look it up on Youtube right now. It is much more epic than this fic. Much more. :P**

**xXPantheraXx - Eeeh, I actually haven't seen any of the new Flashforwards. D: My mom thought I didn't watch them for some reason, and deleted all of them one day when I was at school. D: D: Is it still epic? **

**GinnyStar - Thankies, thankies! I like Windpaw, too, especially in the coming chapters. He has an angsty past. ^.^**

**xxSnowfirexx - Thaaaaankies! Eeep, I didn't really like the last chapter, but this one is an improvement...at least, I think so. :P**

**icethroat21 - So, so true. But add manga to that list, and you have my life. ;)**

**Lightkit - Heehee! I love it when my characters face certain death--even more when they have _certain_ deaths. ^.^**

**Fwirl - So far. It can always change, my friend. (And you will soon be pwned in TW2!! :D:D)**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Hollypaw didn't even have time to blink.

Windpaw crashed past her, his paws splayed widely as he knocked Amberpaw out of the way. "Get down!"

The piece of rock screamed past, slamming into a tree and thudding solidly. Hollypaw stared as it quivered, knowing that her sister was a whisker-length from death. Her belly felt as cold as the snow on the ground.

Amberpaw didn't even look like she was breathing as she lay on her side, Windpaw still standing above her. "T-thanks," she stuttered out. "You saved my life."

Windpaw flattened his ears, stepping back and looking away. "Yeah, well, you should have been looking out. What are you, an idiot?"

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes, shoving past him to help her sister to her paws. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, looking closely at Amberpaw, searching out any kind of injury. "You were nearly killed!"

Lionstar raced over, his eyes wild. "Amberpaw," he panted, "are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Amberpaw's eyes flickered strangely, but she shook her head all the same. "No, Lionstar. Windpaw got me out of the way before anything got me."

Lionstar tilted his head slightly over his shoulder to look at the white ShadowClan apprentice, standing obliquely behind the ThunderClan leader. Lionstar's golden eyes tightened slightly.

Amberpaw shook her head again, as if to clear it. "I'm fine," she protested when Lionstar whirled back to her.

"You'll go straight back and see Leafpool, is what you'll do," he ordered. "You might need herbs for shock or—"

"If she says she's fine, she's fine," Hollypaw butted in, pressing her shoulder against Amberpaw's. The pale cream she-cat leaned into her gratefully. "Don't you think it's important that we have as many cats here as possible?" She lifted her chin.

Lionstar opened his mouth to protest, then shut it, glaring. "You're going to see Leafpool after this is over!"

"Okay," Amberpaw agreed quickly, nodding. "I can do that."

Lionstar nodded mutely, his lips twisted. He turned away without a word and padded back to Rowanstar, who was looking extremely uncomfortable, flicking his tail nervously behind him.

Windpaw watched Lionstar go with a look of barely-concealed contempt.

"What's your problem?" Hollypaw demanded. "You always look like Lionstar's done something to tweak your tail. What's the deal?"

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Windpaw spat. "You owe me enough for saving your sister. She would have had a rock through her brain if I hadn't have been paying attention!"

Despite his tone, Hollypaw felt a chill creep down her spine. _She would have been dead. _"Well, she doesn't," she pointed out. Amberpaw opened her mouth to protest, but Hollypaw waved her down. "It's fine, I've got this," she assured her, turning back sourly to Windpaw. "Thanks for saving Amberpaw," she mewed grudgingly.

Windpaw smirked. "No problem." His voice was taut, but not with sarcasm.

Hollypaw tilted her head slightly to one side, not sure what to make of this tom. _Whatever, _she thought at last, shrugging as she turned her back on him, facing her sister. "Redpaw would have killed you if you had died," she joked.

Amberpaw closed her eyes, purring shakily. "I guess he would have. But it's fine—he doesn't have to fret over me."

"You know you do the same," Hollypaw accused. "You mother us more than Cinderheart!"

"Do not!" Amberpaw protested.

"Do too, and you know it!"

"Sorry to interrupt this exciting debate," Windpaw—who Hollypaw had forgotten was there—put in blandly, "but don't you think we should be over there with the rest of our Clans?" He pointed over to the group of cats with his chin.

"Why aren't you over there already?" Hollypaw demanded. "Can't get enough of us? We _are _stunningly beautiful she-cats." She narrowed her eyes maliciously.

He gaped at her, startled by her comment. "I m-meant that we could walk over together," he growled, his ears flat against his head, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "But if you're going to be saying stupid stuff, I won't even bother!"

"Wait, Windpaw!" Amberpaw called, but the ShadowClan tom didn't turn around. "Good job, Hollypaw." She turned to her sister, looking disgruntled.

"What?" Hollypaw was surprised. "Are you angry with me?"

"Did you really have to push it like that? Really? He wasn't doing anything. He did save me, after all."

Astonished, Hollypaw shook her head. "You don't really feel sorry for the little brat, do you?"

"He's not a brat," Amberpaw countered.

Blinking rapidly, Hollypaw finally saw what she was saying—or _wasn't_ saying. "You like him!"

"What?" Amberpaw recoiled, her ears flat. "Don't be stupid!"

"You do, don't you?" Hollypaw laughed. "Wow, Amberpaw. I really worry about your taste in toms. And all this time I thought you were padding after Foxclaw!"

The pale cream she-cat looked flabbergasted. "What...what, are you serious? Don't be a mousebrain, Hollypaw. He's in ShadowClan, for StarClan's sake!"

"You didn't say I was wrong," Hollypaw teased, not quite taking this seriously. Of course Amberpaw wasn't seriously liking Windpaw—of course not. Her bossy, pushy, rule-following sister wouldn't ever break the code. And for some ratty ShadowClan apprentice?

But she had to wonder...

"So what do you see in him?" she whispered, padding alongside Amberpaw, barely keeping her voice down. "I mean, he does have an interesting pelt color, but is that really what you like about him?"

"I'm not going to talk to you when you're being ridiculous," Amberpaw said frostily.

"He's pretty grumpy," Hollypaw went on, "like Spiderleg in the morning. Maybe you like cross toms, hm?" She slanted her eyes mischievously, looking up at Amberpaw. "Or maybe you like him because he's forbidden. I wouldn't have guessed you would be one like that—"

"Shut up, Hollypaw!" Amberpaw whirled on her, her yellow eyes sparking. "I'm tired off all your prodding and poking!"

"Mm, touchy, huh?" Hollypaw asked snarkily. "Sorry I hit a sore spot, then." She curled her tail in the air. "I would tell you if I was padding after a tom, you know. I'm disappointed that we don't have mutual trust." She sighed dramatically, casting furtive looks at Amberpaw.

"Lionstar, what are we going to do?" Spiderleg was demanding as they moved into earshot. "I haven't actually seen a Twoleg—just their monster. Maybe they aren't here?"

"How else would the monster be working?" Smokefoot hissed. "Use your brain, ThunderClan!"

Spiderleg bristled, but Rowanstar snarled at his deputy first. "Shut up! We are allies here."

Smokefoot flattened his ears, a growl in his throat, but nodded all the same. He made no move to offer an apology, and Spiderleg didn't seem to need one.

"I can't think of anything we can do," Lionstar admitted. "We should just let it alone."

"What?" Rowanstar's eyes widened. "We can't leave it! It's shredding my territory!"

"Our territory," Smokefoot corrected.

Rowanstar ignored him.

"We can try and scare it off," Berrynose supplied. "If we got enough cats out front—"

"No way," Brightheart disagreed in her soft voice. "I've seen these monsters in action, and there's no way they'll stop. They'll crush us into the dirt."

There was silence following her words.

"Well, we have to do something." Rowanstar started pacing irritably, his tail lashing. "My Clan is in danger. I need to..." He trailed off, his eyes clouding. "I know what to do," he mewed suddenly.

"What?" Smokefoot demanded. "What is it? We can do whatever it is to—"

"Why don't you let him speak," Lionstar interrupted. "Show some respect to your Clan leader."

Smokefoot looked furious. "I am the deputy of ShadowClan." He said each word separately and distinctly. "I have a say in my Clan, _thanks._"

"Smokefoot," Rowanstar snarled. "Cut it out. I want you to take Snowbird, Snaketail, Scorchblaze, and Blackstripe around to the flank of the monster. Make as much loud noise as you can."

"Why?" Lionstar looked confused. "Brightheart just said—"

"I heard," Rowanstar said tightly. "If we make enough noise, the Twolegs will come."

"And then we can attack," Lionstar said slowly, understanding.

Cloudtail looked unimpressed by the ShadowClan leader's plan. "Are you serious?" he hissed. "That's a stupid idea! What are you going to attack them with? Have you even _seen_ a Twoleg before?"

Rowanstar looked at him stonily. "Remember that I was in the old forest, too, Cloudtail," he growled. "I had to evacuate with the rest of the Clans."

"Well I was captured by them, remember?" Cloudtail's fur was bristling. "Brightheart, too. We know that you can't just up and fight them. They're stronger and smarter than us."

"Doubtful," a ShadowClan warrior said loftily.

"Believe it or not," Brightheart put in, her single green eye sharp as she defended her mate. "This isn't a battle we can fight. If we make our presence known, they'll only come after us."

"And make us into kittypets?" Foxclaw gulped.

_Mouse-heart, _Hollypaw thought snidely.

Cloudtail shook his head. "They don't want us as kittypets. They'll just outright kill us." He looked to Lionstar. "Don't lead us into this, Lionstar. It won't end well for anyone."

Lionstar looked thoughtful. "Is there anyway that we could win?" he asked in a soft voice, so soft that Hollypaw had to crane her neck forward to listen.

Cloudtail hissed. "I just said that, didn't I? Twolegs are formidable. They can't move as fast as us, but they have traps for us already put out, I would wager."

Rowanstar's eyes were narrowed. "So you're going to go home?" he demanded. "You're going to leave ShadowClan to the mercy of these Twolegs?"

Hollypaw pressed forward, her ears pricked. "Can't we stay and fight?" she begged. "Don't you think ShadowClan needs help?"

Amberpaw nodded in agreement. "We can help, Lionstar!"

_Is that for yourself, _Hollypaw mused, _or for someone else?_

As if she had read her thoughts, Amberpaw shot her a dirty look. Hollypaw raised her head triumphantly.

Hazeltail, Poppyfrost, and Rosefall were sitting back, but their eyes were sharp and watchful. The monster was still kicking up rocks, but the shrill wail had subsided, filling the air with the sound of crunching rock.

Graystripe looked torn. "Well, I've seen how they act, myself," he admitted. "You remember, don't you?"

Hollypaw didn't know what he was referencing, but apparently everyone else in the patrol did. They nodded, and Millie looked over at him with a clear blue gaze.

"Do you think this is a worthless battle then?"

"An alliance with ShadowClan would prove useful," Graystripe admitted. "Especially considering how close WindClan have been getting to our border..."

Lionstar nodded. "That's enough for me." He looked up at Rowanstar. "We'll follow through with your plan."

Rowanstar blinked slowly. "Thank you," he mewed, sounding heartfelt. "You split your cats up with my patrols. We should be able to make enough noise to alert them."

"And then...?"

"Then...we'll figure something else out."

Hollypaw hissed. "Seriously?" she whispered to Amberpaw. "Is he for real? He doesn't have a plan?"

"Hush," Amberpaw shushed her. "We need to pay attention."

Hollypaw scoffed and turned away.

"Hollypaw, you and Amberpaw go with Blackstripe and Windpaw." Lionstar nodded towards a long-legged pale cream tom with thick, dark tabby markings. Windpaw stood beside him, looking distinctly bored. She was struck by some kind of resemblance between them, but she couldn't place it. Maybe it was the look of discomfort in both of their pale gazes.

"We'll be attacking the side of the monster," the tom—Blackstripe, she assumed—mewed in a deep voice. "Make sure you can keep up."

Hollypaw flattened her ears, curling her lip. "You make sure you can keep up with us."

To her surprise, Blackstripe laughed. "That's the spirit," he chuckled, gesturing with his tail. "Come on; Smokefoot's waiting."

Windpaw looked at the older tom with disgust, his eyes narrowed and his body tense.

"What's your problem?" Hollypaw demanded.

"Nothing!" he hissed immediately. "None of your business."

"So that's not a definitive 'no,'" she pressed. "Something the matter with you, stink-pelt? A little nervous to be facing the big, bad Twolegs?"

"Don't be joking around like that, ThunderClan." Blackstripe looked disapproving. "You don't want to provoke them."

"You think they can understand?" Hollypaw scoffed. "And it's Hollypaw! And this is Amberpaw, my sister."

"Nice to meet you, then." He dipped his head slightly. "Smokefoot," he greeted, coming up to the black tom. "What are the orders?" Despite his light tone, Hollypaw could tell he was hiding something—some strange emotion in the undercurrent of his voice. Was it anger?

Hollypaw shook her head scornfully. Why did she really care, anyway? These ShadowClan cats were just weirdos, she justified.

"Blackstripe, it looks like you're last—again." Smokefoot lifted his chin arrogantly. "Guess you can't take a hint still, can you?"

Blackstripe recoiled like he'd been stung by a bee. "I..."

"Smokefoot, why don't we launch this attack?" Windpaw stepped forward, looking angry. His fur was bristling on his snow-white shoulders.

Smokefoot's whiskers twitched, like he was going to laugh.

Despite not liking Windpaw at all, she found herself wondering what this black tom had against Blackstripe and Windpaw.

Amberpaw sighed tightly. "Try not to get involved," she breathed to her.

"Let's get this moving," Smokefoot said blandly, turning to a gray cat at his side. "Scorchblaze, why don't you go ahead."

The tom looked shocked. "W-what? I thought we were going together!"

"Don't you know how to follow orders?" Smokefoot sounded disdainful. "Get going!"

Scorchblaze hesitated.

Smokefoot lashed out, one unsheathed paw clawing a whisker-length from his gray flanks. "Move it!"

He didn't need a second warning. Scorchblaze took off, shuffling awkwardly sideways when he got in front of the monster, his entire pelt on edge. Hollypaw could see his yellow eyes were wide and afraid.

"Call him back!" Amberpaw ordered, shocking Hollypaw, and turning to Smokefoot. "He'll get hurt! Your leader told you to—"

Smokefoot snarled furiously, silencing her. "I am in charge of this patrol," he spat out. "Do not give me orders, little rat!"

Windpaw was on his paws in a heartbeat. "Don't talk like that to her!" he hissed. "She didn't do anything!"

Smokefoot looked mildly surprised through his anger. "Oh, what's this, Windpaw? Feeling sorry for the little ThunderClan cat? Don't worry—when I become leader, there will be changes. We won't be crawling to Clans that are below us." He turned to Amberpaw, his eyes lazily arrogant.

Amberpaw's pelt was on edge. She curled her lip at him, hissing softly, before taking off after Scorchblaze, not looking back.

Hollypaw stood there, astonished, for a heartbeat before following her.

"Wait!" Blackstripe called after her. "That's not what we're supposed to do!"

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, just running faster.

"Mousebrained she-cats!" Windpaw was next to her, his pelt slicked back by the wind. "What are you thinking, charging at a monster like that?"

"And yet here you are following," Hollypaw pointed out. "Not exactly sticking to your own code, eh, stink-pelt?"

Windpaw twisted his mouth and said nothing, charging ahead to arch his back in front of the monster, his eyes narrowed hatefully. "Go away!" he snarled, lashing his claws at its shiny foreleg. "Go away!"

Amberpaw was making small leaps forward, as if she were going to jump on top of it.

Hollypaw jumped to her side, taking three steps before launching up into the monster's flank, clawing her way up the cold surface, digging her claws into a soft surface in what looked like a small cave.

Inside was the most bizarre creature Hollypaw had ever seen. It was flat-faced, its skin bright pink in the cold, and it was wearing some kind of bright orange pelt slung over another brown pelt. She supposed that it looked surprised—what with a fluffy gray cat leaping into its monster's mouth—but she couldn't distinguish emotions on such bizarre face.

Then it reached out a thick brown paw to grab at her.

* * *

**Lame I know, but I'm tired, and I have to get up early. I'll get the next chapter out sooner this time--pinky swear! :P**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	13. Chapter 12

****

I like this chapter a little bit more than the last one. ^.^

**GinnyStar - Thankies, thankies! You're always the first one to review. You get cool points for that. :P**

**xxSnowfirexx - I love that word, too. But as for who Blackstripe is...you'll see. He has quite an angsty past. ^.^ Smokefoot is a pretty grumpy old dude, but he has reasons~ Well, kinda. :P**

**WildCroconaw - Aaaah, good questions. Too bad I can't answer them. XD **

**Lightkit - I actually had to have my friend translate your Spanish. XD I took French, so I can't say anything besides "Que pasa?" and "Hola!" **

**icethroat21 - I looooooooove manga. Especially Ouran, FMA, DNAngel, and Fruits Basket, but one of my friends is trying to get me to read Tsubasa, and it's just so MEH. D:**

**Fwashdance/Flippy Floppy Fwirly/Fwam Bam/ Fwiiiiiiiiiiirl - Even nicknaming geniuses need some time off. ;)**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - DUDE. You filled up my inbox with reviews. You are officially my best friend now. (Sorry, Fwirly. ;)) As for your alarm...we'll see. :D:D**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

"Hollypaw!" Amberpaw yowled, scrambling up the side of the monster's foreleg, her claws screaming as they raked down the cold skin of the beast.

Hollypaw hissed at the Twoleg, arching her back and baring her teeth. "Get out!" she screeched. "You're not welcome here!"

But the Twoleg caught her by the scruff, knocking all the fight out of her. She dangled loosely in front of the Twoleg's face, narrowing her eyes and growling at it. It reached out with another thick brown paw and poked at her, making her swing in its grasp. She twisted fiercely in its grip, lashing out with a forepaw when it touched her.

"Go away!" she snarled, wrinkling her lip back to show it her fangs, trying to intimidate it. "Put me down, or I swear I'll—"

But Hollypaw didn't have time to threaten it. At that same instant, a pale cat shot towards the Twoleg's face, ripping a long scar down its pink skin.

The Twoleg dropped her, clapping its hands over its face with a howl of pain.

"Get going!" Blackstripe hissed shoving her roughly towards the edge of the small den.

Hollypaw didn't move. "Let me at it!" she snarled, moving to step around him. "I can take it! Let me get my claws in it!"

Blackstripe growled, "Idiotic kit!" and grabbed her by the scuff, making her yelp in surprise. He swung out of the den, leaping agilely down the feet of the monster before pelting into the forest, Hollypaw danging from his jaws like a piece of prey.

"Let me go!" Hollypaw was livid—she was shaking all over. "I had it! If you would have just given me one more heartbeat—"

Blackstripe looked incredulous. He panted, shaking his head. "It would have killed you. You think I could have stood by and watched an apprentice get killed by that thing?"

Hollypaw curled her lip. "I didn't need help."

The other cats of the patrol were creeping into the forest beside them—Amberpaw looking shocked but okay; Scorchblaze with cut and bleeding paws; Windpaw looking at Blackstripe with a thoughtful expression.

Smokefoot looked furious. "What were you thinking?" he snarled at the ShadowClan warrior. "You think an apprentice's life is more important than a ShadowClan warrior's?"

Windpaw blinked, but it was Blackstripe who replied. "The Twoleg had her," he said in a calm voice. "Imagine what you would have done. Would you have sat by and not done anything?"

"I was fine on my own," Hollypaw growled.

Ignoring this, Smokefoot stared Blackstripe down. "Your softheartedness will lead you into trouble one day, Blackstripe," he spat. "Come on. Our plan failed. We have to report back to Rowanstar." He turned his back on his Clanmates and started to cut a wide path around the Twoleg monster, which was now eerily silent.

"It grabbed you!" Amberpaw's voice was a mixture of relief and confusion. "You didn't try to get away!"

"It was holding me next to its face," Hollypaw sniffed. "You think I wanted to get away? It was the perfect shot! If that bumblepaws Blackstripe didn't come and try to steal my glory, I would have had it."

Windpaw's mouth was twisted wryly. "Steal your glory, huh?" he echoed in a soft voice.

"That's right." Hollypaw lifted her chin, turning to him. "Guess your warriors can't wait but to steal other cats' honor, eh?"

Windpaw laughed cynically. "Blackstripe needs it more than you do," he told her, his eyes narrowed. "He's got the most tarnished honor in the Clan."

"Oh?" Hollypaw was surprised. "And why's that?"

Amberpaw was watching Windpaw carefully, as carefully as Hollypaw was.

"No reason in particular," he said breezily, but his tense shoulders gave him away. "He showed himself to be weak in a battle seasons ago." His eyes were distant. "Before I was born."

"Hm." Unimpressed with his anticlimactic story, Hollypaw curled her tail over her back, trotting ahead of them. "That seems like a stupid way to lose one's honor."

"You would think." He sounded like he was holding back a laugh.

Hollypaw frowned, looking over her shoulder at him. "What do you—"

"Well?" Rowanstar appeared suddenly from the bushes, making Hollypaw and Amberpaw jump. "How did it go?"

"It stopped the monster," Smokefoot reported, his eyes on Blackstripe. "But its still inside."

A white she-cat raced over from across the clearing. "Rowanstar," she whispered, "it just got out of the monster's belly. I saw it walk towards the old thunderpath."

Rowanstar's eyes gleamed. "It's leaving!"

"We don't know that," Smokefoot put in. "We should go check it out."

Rowanstar nodded, not really paying attention. "You go check. We'll be waiting by the dead pine."

Smokefoot curled his lip. Probably upset by having an apprentice's job, Hollypaw reasoned. He stalked back the way they came.

"Blackstripe, what did you do?" Rowanstar asked the heartbeat he was gone. "I saw that you stopped it."

"It wasn't me," he replied modestly. "Hollypaw got there first and distracted it. I only clawed its face."

"Rowanstar frowned, as if that wasn't the response he expected. "But you contributed to the monster being stopped, right?"

"Barely."

Windpaw hissed under his breath. Hollypaw wheeled around to look at him and saw his eyes were narrowed hatefully.

Amberpaw blinked. "But I saw what you did," she put in, sounding confused. "You saved my sister. You made the Twoleg stop."

The white she-cat was kneading the ground uncomfortably. "Smokefoot hasn't returned," she pointed out nervously. "Should I...?"

"No need." Smokefoot's black pelt stuck out starkly against the white snow. Standing so close to Windpaw, he looked like the apprentice's much-larger shadow. "It's gone. It got in a smaller monster and got away—still clutching its paw, by the way." His green eyes gleamed.

"Excellent." Rowanstar turned to Blackstripe and dipped his head. "Thank you."

"It wasn't me," the pale tom protested lightly.

"It was!" Windpaw exploded. "You stopped it!" He wheeled to gesture at Hollypaw. "It had her by the neck! Did you think she was going to stop it? Why don't you try and accept some praise every so often?"

Blackstripe looked shocked. "Windpaw—"

"Don't bother!" Windpaw turned and stalked away, his shoulders tight and his claws unsheathed.

"Wait!" Blackstripe took a few pawsteps after him, but the white she-cat stepped in front of him.

"Why don't you give him some time?" she suggested softly. "He's just been through a big battle."

Hesitating for another heartbeat, Blackstripe finally stepped back, bending his head. "You're right, Snowbird."

Hollypaw turned to scornfully say something to Amberpaw, but the pale cream she-cat's gaze was on the direction that Windpaw had disappeared to, her eyes full of worry. "Let it alone, Amberpaw," she said bluntly. "He's not our concern."

"He's our friend!" she whispered back.

"He's not my friend!" Hollypaw protested, giving Blackstripe one last glance—hopefully he would see the gratitude in it—before trotting away from the ShadowClan cats and back towards the familiar scents of her Clanmates.

Amberpaw—despite her words—rushed to keep up. "We can have friends in other Clans, Hollypaw." She sounded disgruntled.

Hollypaw laughed. "Right, right. Lionstar!" she called. "We're back."

"I saw." The golden leader padded up, his eyes still worried. "Our attack on the other flank of the monster failed. There wasn't anyway to get up to the Twoleg inside. Let me see your scruff."

"I'm fine!" she protested, twisting away. "It used its paw, not its mouth. And it didn't even have claws!" She let some of the bafflement flood her voice.

Lionstar laughed weakly, licking her over the ears—which she stepped away from hurriedly—before looking up over her shoulder. "Rowanstar," he mewed, "it looks like our alliance is over." Hollypaw could almost here the _for now _that would follow his words.

Rowanstar dipped his head. "Thank you, Lionstar. ShadowClan will repay this debt somehow." He turned to look at his warriors. "Not many of my cats are injured, but I'm sure Littlecloud and Flameleap would look at your wounded."

Lionstar shook his head. "Leafpool can see to them. Until next time, then." He dipped his head shortly to the ShadowClan leader, before flicking his tail and gesturing his patrol back out of the barren forest and into the snow-dusted trees of their own.

- - -

"And then it roared at me really fiercely, yowling some awful noise," Hollypaw said seriously. "And its monster was snarling underneath me. I reached out and yowled, 'Get out of our territory!' and clawed it right between the eyes."

Faintkit and Harekit's eyes were huge. "And did it die?" Faintkit whispered, sounding simultaneously excited and terrified.

"Nope. He reached out and grabbed me...like _this!_" Hollypaw swept the tiny kits' paws out from underneath them, knocking them gently onto their sides.

Faintkit laughed happily, but Harekit was more serious. "And it really grabbed you?" he asked, sounding skeptical.

"Yep! Look here." She leaned down and twisted her neck to the side, exposing the tender skin at the back of her neck. A small pink burn-like wound was barely visible through her thick fur. "Got me right here on the neck."

Harekit looked astonished. "You were telling the truth, then?"

She scoffed. "Of course! Why would I lie?"

"You tell stories all the time," he pointed out.

She twisted her head to the side. "Well, Amberpaw can back me up on this one. Can't you, Amberpaw?" She turned to look at her sister, who was sitting with her back to them, one paw off the ground.

"Huh?" She turned around. "Yeah, yeah, it's all true."

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. "See here, kits," she wheeled back to face them, "this is what happens when you get that _special feeling_ for another cat." She smirked at Amberpaw. "She's smitten."

"You're in love, Amberpaw?" Faintkit sounded in awe; Harekit just looked uncomfortable. "With who? Foxclaw?"

Amberpaw spluttered, "N-no! Why does everyone think that? I don't even talk to him!"

"You went on patrol with him today," Hollypaw pointed out.

"I was already there," Amberpaw spat. "You know that. I don't understand all this talk about me. Just leave me out of your rumors." She turned around and marched away to a confused-looking Redpaw.

Hollypaw bent her head, her eyes on her sister. _Maybe I should lay off, _she thought, then shook her head, perking back up. _What, and end all this fun? Not a chance! _

"You pick on her!" Harekit accused, his green eyes sharp. "You should leave her alone sometimes."

"Especially with that paw of hers," Faintkit added sympathetically.

Hollypaw pricked her ears. "Her paw?"

"Yeah, she stepped on a thorn a few days ago," Harekit told her. "She told us when we asked her why she was limping."

"Did she say anything else?"

Faintkit shook her head. "Nope. She said she was on the mend. Guess not."

Hollypaw's mind was racing. _If kits are noticing, who else has? Has Amberpaw told anyone about that? She didn't even tell me that it was still hurting! _She felt a sting of resentment that her own kin couldn't tell her anything.

"Hey, Hollypaw." Cinderheart padded up, flicking her over the ears affectionately. "Are you bothering these kits?" She looked down at her sister's kits with amusement.

"We were talking about Amberpaw's—" Faintkit cut off abruptly as she saw Hollypaw shoot her a frantic look. "Amberpaw's...battle patrol...thing." She looked up at Cinderheart with bright blue eyes. "We have to go now. Sorry, Cinderheart!" She nudged her brother, whispering something in his ear.

"What?" he hissed. "I didn't hear anything!"

"Bye, Hollypaw!" Faintkit hustled her brother along, giving Hollypaw a suspiciously guilty look.

Cinderheart's gaze was sharp when she looked down at her daughter. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," Hollypaw mewed innocently. "Lionstar did well at the battle today."

Still looking suspicious, Cinderheart nodded. "I heard. How did you do? I heard you got grabbed." Her voice was sharp with worry.

"I'm fine," Hollypaw complained. "I already had Leafpool check it out. She said it's just a scrape."

"And your sister?" Cinderheart's eyes were on her other two kits where they lay sharing tongues.

"She's fine," Hollypaw mewed coolly, trying to act nonchalant. "We're supposed to rest up today." She let irritation flood her voice.

Cinderheart purred, flicking her tail over her daughter's ears. "If that scrape starts hurting more, put some marigold on it. It'll take the sting out of it."

'Kay," Hollypaw said slowly, wondering how her mother knew that. Then she shrugged; she'd probably know that same stuff when she got older. "See you later."

Cinderheart pressed her nose between Hollypaw's ears. "Come and share some fresh-kill with me later. We haven't gotten to talk in a long time."

"Okay. Bye, Cinderheart!" She turned and walked quickly away before she could ask her anything else.

"Hey, Hollypaw." Redpaw's voice was still resentful. She felt a spark of satisfaction.

"Hey, little mouse." She dropped to the ground beside him, letting out a sigh. "Did you save me any?" she asked, nodding towards the finch he held in his paws.

Blue eyes narrowed angrily, he shoved the bird over, his fur bristling. "Amberpaw told me you got snatched."

Hollypaw let out an exasperated sound, ripping a mouthful of dry meat from the breast of the finch. "How many cats did you tell, Amberpaw? Honestly." She swallowed, coughing a little as the meat clung to her throat. "It got me, sure enough, but I got loose."

"By a ShadowClan cat." He sounded distasteful.

"Yeah, well," she grumbled, plucking a feather from the fresh-kill, "whatever."

Amberpaw reached out and gently prodded her sister with her paw. "We were just worried about you."

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes at her. "Just like me and Redpaw with your paw?" She looked pointedly at Amberpaw's other paw, which was curled beneath her chest.

At once, Redpaw perked up. His gaze fixed on Amberpaw's yellow eyes.

Amberpaw shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?" she asked uneasily. "I must have just reopened the wound during the battle. I did climb up the side of the monster—it was pretty sharp."

"Uh-huh." Hollypaw let it drop, uninterested in making her sister any angrier, despite the fact that she was worried. Hollypaw didn't bother with those mushy kind of feelings—all a cat needed was a quick wit, sharp claws, and allies, she figured. Of course she loved her kin, but all those feelings got in the way when she was trying to accomplish something. "Well, just keep an eye on it."

Redpaw looked at her suspiciously, but Hollypaw just shrugged him off, her mind on the Twoleg battle. _It was here for a while judging by the scrapes in the ground, _she mused, gulping down another mouthful of meat. _Who knows when it will be back...and what it will do then. _

_

* * *

**Crap, gonna be late.**_

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	14. Chapter 13

**This chapter has been sitting on my computer half-done for like four days. I don't really know why it was so difficult to write, even though it's nothing but a comic relief/filler chapter. I've had a cold, so don't question my sanity at this extremely bizarre adventure that Redpaw has, as it is probably very weird and OOC. My bad. :P**

**xxSnowfirexx - Yeah, he's one of those "came back to life even though he had clearly died" types. Either that, or it's another cat with the same name, age, and description, but hey, who can really tell in the Erins's books? :P**

**GinnyStar - Thankies~ I love those two little kits. I have big plans for them. -evil grin-**

**icethroat21 - CLAMP are evil geniuses. I've read enough of Tsubasa to know that. I like how it's all interconnected-like, but it does tend to get confusing sometimes. **

**Lightkit - Oooh, I might have to check it out, then. :P Windpaw's history won't be explained in this chapter, but maybe I'll add a little nugget in the next one. ;) I didn't notice that Harekit was being all crushy with Amberpaw, so I didn't mean it, and they are related, sooo... XD**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - I like Blackstripe, too. I wanted him to be the anti-stereotype, y'know? All ShadowClan cats seem to be like Smokefoot, but I'm sure there are a few of them that are friendly. ^.^ Even more gender-benders in The Fourth Apprentice, I'm afraid. Gorsetail of WindClan has returned to his/her/its status of being male, despite having had kits only four books ago. -_-' I looked up all the spoilers for the new book. ;) I'm so terrible. **

**Lriwf - It IS! :D:D And you shall see~ Although I think I already told you how this one ends...I can't remember. **

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Redpaw was happy.

He was curled into a tight, warm ball in his nest, his eyes closed peacefully as he listened to the deep breathing of his sleeping sisters. Sighing, he snuggled closer against Amberpaw's side, feeling Oakpaw shift closer to him on his other side, squishing him into a warm cocoon.

_I love the cold, _he thought, pressing his nose into the fur of his tail. _I wish it was like this all the time! _

Hollypaw shuffled noisily, muttering in her sleep. "Shadow...shadow," she whispered. "Grab it." She made a motion with her paw, barely a twitch, but the concentrated expression on her sleeping face made him laugh soundlessly.

Amberpaw was sleeping soundly, but even now, that paw was curled up against her chest, pressed into her thick white chest fur. Rainpaw was barely visible on her other side, his dark-dappled pelt blending into the midnight shadows that darkened the apprentices' den.

"Amberpaw?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you awake?"

Amberpaw didn't say anything, just let out a sleepy sigh.

Getting to his paws slowly, Redpaw reached out and softly batted at her tucked paw, trying to pull it loose without alerting her. He crouched back down, reaching out with both paws like he had when he was a kit whacking at moss balls. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his paw around hers, sliding it out from under her chest.

"What?" she gasped. "What, what?" She rolled over onto her side, yawning widely, her whiskers bristling out from her face. Then, licking her lips, she settled down again with her belly facing him, her head leaned back on the ground. A moment later, her breathing evened out again, and he knew she was asleep.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, knowing that she would flay his pelt if she caught him. Reaching out again, he gently gripped her paw, agilely pulling it closer to his face. It smelled strange—not infected, not sick—but something else...something he couldn't quite place. It was a warm scent, like leaves in green-leaf, only not. He shook his head, trying to think harder, closing his eyes to concentrate.

_Why does it not look like it's healing? _he wondered. _Surely it should be healed by now! Maybe I _should _tell Leafpool. I'm sure she could help out...give her some herbs or something. Maybe I can get some herbs for her! That way, Leafpool won't get suspicious or anything! _The thought filled him with excitement, and he got to his paws. "I'll go now," he whispered to himself.

"Go where?" The voice was unmistakably Rainpaw's. Redpaw could see the silhouette of his pricked ears in the filtered moonlight as he sat up, his whiskers gleaming silver.

_Mousedung! I didn't mean to say it out loud! _"Uh...to sleep," he whispered back, thinking fast. "I'll...go to sleep now. Good night!" He dropped hishead to his paws, keeping his eyes wide open.

There was a moment's hesitation, then Rainpaw said, "Good night." His form disappeared as he lay back down.

Redpaw let out another breath. _Okay, it's not a good idea to talk out loud to yourself in the middle of the night, _he told himself, wincing. _He'll be back to sleep soon, I reckon, then I can slip outside. _

Who was on watch tonight? He couldn't remember; it had been Cloudtail and Brightheart when he'd gone to sleep, but surely someone would have replaced them by now. If it was—and he chided himself for even thinking it—it would be easier to slip by Brightheart on her blind side.

After a significant amount of time, Redpaw got to his paws again, keeping his weight low as if he was hunting. He stepped over Hollypaw's fluffy gray tail, creeping just past Rainpaw's face—close enough to feel his warm breath on his paws—and out into the shadow of den, peering around the corner to look at the top of the hollow.

Lionstar had two cats on duty at all times, each perched on either side of the top edge of the camp, high enough above the ground to see over the tops of a few trees. Redpaw could see a lean dark shadow on the side closest to him—nearly straight up—but couldn't see the other side. _It's got to be Birchfall, _he told himself. _No one else is that scrawny. _

Taking it slowly, one paw step at a time, he began to skirt around the edge of the den, keeping close to thorn branches, feeling them scrape gently through his pelt. He kept his eyes on Birchfall, not even noticing where he was going until he hit a solid, warm weight. "Ow!" he complained, then flinched when he saw what he hit.

Rainpaw's eyes gleamed silver and sightless in the moonlight. "Hello, Redpaw."

Redpaw tilted one ear down. "Hello, Rainpaw. How's...how's it going?" He wished for the first time in a long time that Hollypaw was with him—she'd know how to get out of this conversation with her quick tongue.

"Good, good," Rainpaw said seriously. "How's your nest?"

"Um, what?"

"Well, you told me you were going to sleep." Rainpaw lowered his head, casting his sharp-angled face into shadow. "So, how's your nest?"

"It's..." Redpaw didn't know what to say. _What would Hollypaw say here? _he wondered. "Look, I'm going to get some herbs."

"Herbs?" Rainpaw pricked his ears. "At night? Are you a medicine cat now?"

Redpaw curled his lip. "Why do you care?" he demanded. "You aren't my mentor! I don't report to _you_, Rainpaw."

Rainpaw tilted his head to the side. "If I call out right now," he murmured, "Birchfall will sound the alarm and wake the entire Clan. Lionstar will come out of his den—thinking there's an invader—only to see his kit wandering around in the middle of the night looking for _herbs._"

Redpaw stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"You're breaking the rules," he growled. "Rules have to be followed. So you aren't leaving the camp, because apprentices don't leave without a warrior with them." He nodded, as if he was agreeing with his own words.

Gritting his teeth, Redpaw lowered his head. "I'm leaving," he snarled softly.

Rainpaw nodded again, as if he suspected that answer. He opened his mouth wide and drew in breath...

"Wait!" Redpaw hissed. "Wait, wait. What if...what if you come with me?" He was thinking hard, trying to put himself in Hollypaw's twisted, twisted mind.

Rainpaw shook his head. "Didn't you hear what I said?" he asked softly. "Apprentices don't leave without a warrior escort."

"Well, I mean," Redpaw protested, "_you're _almost a warrior, aren't you? Two more moons and you'll have your warrior name and everything, right?" He bent his head more, as if in respect. "You'll be able to come outside at night all you want, right?"

"That's not for another moon or so," Rainpaw protested, but he sounded thoughtful, as if he was considering it.

"But what's a moon between friends?" Redpaw shuffled up beside Rainpaw, flicking him with his tail. "You'll probably get a really strong name, hm? Rainblaze, or Rainfall, or—"

"Or Rainclaw," Rainpaw put in, puffing out his chest a little.

_Excellent, _Redpaw almost purred. "Yeah, Rainclaw," he agreed appreciatively. "That would be a really good name! Rainclaw!"

Rainpaw was nodding slowly, his eyes gleaming. "In only one more moon..." Then he shook his head. "No, no, it's breaking the rules."

Redpaw wanted to screech. Any moment, Birchfall could look down and see them. "But...I have a bellyache," he said, letting his face crumple. "It hurts!"

Rainpaw looked alarmed. "W-what? But—"

"Oh, my belly! I need...I need," he closed his eyes, trying to remember the herbs that Leafpool had taught him—herbs that every warrior should always know, and blurted out, "marigold!"

"Marigold?" Rainpaw looked confused...and suspicious. "That's for infections; don't you mean juniper?"

"Yes! That's it!" Redpaw nodded vigorously, not exactly sure how he was going to get out of this. "I need some right now."

"And you can't get some from Leafpool because...?"

_This is taking forever! _"I guess I could do that," he mewed, "but if we bring some back, we'll be er,...heroes to the Clan! Leaf-bare killed most of the marigold, so if we find some...Lionstar might give you your warrior name early!"

Rainpaw was still looking skeptical.

"Please," Redpaw added, trying not to seem weak.

"Alright," Rainpaw relented, "but if we don't find any quickly, we're coming right back. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Redpaw whispered. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" Rainpaw shoved him into the bushes. "Don't you see that?" He nodded towards the top of the hollow.

Redpaw looked up, squinting. "Birchfall's there," he reported. "But you already knew that."

Rainpaw shook his head. "Look on the other side."

"I don't see anything!"

Rainpaw shoved him over, making Redpaw hiss in irritation. "Look closer!"

Obediently, Redpaw peered up at the top of the hollow, not expecting to see anything.

There was the merest flicker of movement—a cat readjusting its ears in the darkness.

"Squirrelflight," Rainpaw told him. "You would have walked right past her." He began to press forward, keeping in the darkness shrouding the edge of the den. "Come on," he hissed. "Only a few more steps, and we can sneak out through a gap in the gorse."

"Okay," Redpaw mewed warily, not sure if he could trust Rainpaw to not tell on him. _But why would he have told me that Squirrelflight was there? _he wondered. Taking light steps, he padded close behind Rainpaw, colliding with him more than once as the older apprentice stopped and looked up.

"We need a distraction," he hissed.

Redpaw nodded mutely. Casting his glance around, he spotted a large round rock—maybe the size of his paw—laying under the edge of the brambles that made up the apprentices' den. He stalked over to it, hooking it beneath his paw and flipping it so that it skittered across the stone ground, clattering the whole way.

Birchfall's ears pricked, and he turned around on his post, leaning out over the edge.

"Go!" Redpaw dashed pat and squirmed through a gap in the thorn barrier, feeling the gorse pull at his thick pelt. Rainpaw was padding much more lightly behind him, and Redpaw could feel his breath on his paws. Shoving out into the forest, he picked up speed and ran into the forest, ducking into the cover of the trees.

"Okay," Rainpaw puffed, running up next to him. "Let's get some herbs and head back quickly."

"Where do we start?" Redpaw felt a pang of embarrassment that he didn't know where to find any herbs—he should have been paying more attention when Berrynose was telling him things.

"Well, marigold is a flower, right? We should look for flowers."

"I think they're blue," Redpaw mewed, remembering watching Leafpool stack leaves in her den one time and seeing blue petals clinging to her pelt.

"Blue?" Rainpaw echoed. "Um, right. Yes, they're blue. Lionstar showed me the basic herbs." He was nodding slowly, and Redpaw knew in that instant that the older apprentice had no idea what marigold looked like, and only wanted to try and prove himself as the boss.

Narrowing his eyes, Redpaw went on: "And since they're blue, that means they should grow by the water, right? Doesn't that make sense?"

Rainpaw looked down suspiciously at him. "You know what we're looking for, right?" he demanded. "Stop joking around and let's get this over with."

Frowning, Redpaw turned away, disappointed that Rainpaw didn't rise to the bait. "Okay. Do you want to split up and meet back here?"

Rainpaw shook his head. "No way. What if you run into a fox or something?"

"A fox?" Redpaw scoffed. "Yeah right. We haven't seen a fox in moons!"

"Do you want to find the herbs or not?" Rainpaw stepped forward, his nose lifted to sniff at the air. "Most of the herbs that I've seen are sharply-scented—like sap or fresh leaves. Since all the leaves are dead around here, we should be able to locate some herbs relatively easy. Look close to the base of trees where the snow hasn't been captured; there has to be a few around."

Redpaw looked furtively at Rainpaw, seeing the confidence on the gray-speckled tom's face. _He's almost a warrior, _he thought jealously. _All this stuff that he knows...I wish that I knew all of that. _He moved forward and began shuffling hard-crusted snow off of the roots of a tree, peering in the small space between the bristly branches.

Shaking snow off his paw hurriedly before the cold set in, Redpaw padded farther down the forest path, losing sight of Rainpaw. The air changed, becoming colder almost, and the lake came into view. Frost clung around the pebbly shores, spreading across the surface of the water in a white sheet with spidery cracks spreading nearly a tail-length.

"Ice!" he whispered, reaching out with one paw to touch the smooth surface. It didn't give under his paw. "I wonder if it could hold my weight," he wondered, imagining himself scooting across the surface of the lake, nearly as fast as a bird in flight. The thought filled him with excitement.

Very slowly, he crept out onto the surface of the ice, keeping his weight low over his paws. Once he had all four paws on the ice and was about a fox-length out, he bounced, making sure it could hold his weight.

"What are you doing?!" Rainpaw yowled, the loudest Redpaw had ever heard him speak. "Get back here!"

At his voice, Redpaw whirled, claws instinctively digging into the ice in case he had to fight. The ice cracked underneath him, the sound horribly ominous. "Uh-oh," he muttered, then the ground fell from underneath him.

The shock of the freezing water nearly stopped Redpaw's heart. He couldn't move his muscles even enough to cry out for help.

Rainpaw dropped whatever was in his mouth, dashing towards Redpaw, his dark eyes alight with fear. Without a backwards glance, he leapt full-on into the water, breaking dark chunks of ice with his churning paws, pushing them out of the way with his broad shoulders until he could grip Redpaw's scruff in his teeth. He whirled around, dragging Redpaw's dead weight through the icy water and depositing him on the thick mud of the shore.

"Idiot," he panted, water dripping down his face. He shook his head, sending drops flying. "What were you thinking?"

Redpaw shook his head. "Nothing intelligent," he spluttered out, shaking fiercely. "I wanted t-t-to walk across the i-i-ice."

"Walk across the ice," Rainpaw repeated dully. "If I didn't come along with you, you'd be dead. I'm sure Lionstar and Cinderheart would take that lightly."

"You could have died, too!" Redpaw growled, licking his own pelt against the grain to warm himself up. "What about your parents?"

Rainpaw shook his head. "Warriors would die for another Clanmate," he snapped. "You should know that before you put yourself in another stupid situation." He twisted his head, tossing something on the ground next to him—yellow flowers that curled at the tips. "There you go. _That's_ marigold. Not blue flowers." He scoffed, getting to his paws. "Come on. We're going back to camp."

Redpaw, wincing, got to his paws, feeling bruises where the ice had scraped against his pelt. The mud sucked at his paws, making him trip and flail around until Rainpaw grabbed his scruff and yanked him free, falling himself in his attempt to help.

When they were finally on dry land, Rainpaw dropped his meager mouthful of herbs—muddied and probably useless—and turned to look at Redpaw, his dark eyes exhausted and mud plastered to the side of his face. "We'll never speak of this again, agreed?"

Redpaw nodded wearily, feeling the tips of each tuft of fur on his pelt freezing into tiny icicles. "Agreed."

* * *

**That darn Fourth Apprentice screwed up all my devious plotlines for this fic. : ( If you wanna check out all the spoilerific things that I found out, head over to Amazon and hit the Browse-Inside. My personal opinion is that this book is fail, but the other part of my is saying, "Caaaaaaaalled it!!" I'll let you wonder about both of those options. :D:D**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	15. Chapter 14

**Beast chapter time~ 4K words, guys! But, unfortunately, this will be my last update for a month, so I tried not to leave you guys on a cliffie. ;) I'm so good to you. **

**Oh, but before I start, I was browsing through Google trying to find cats that looked like my mains, and I found a few, so I thought I'd show you guys! So here we go! Just take the (dot) out of them and put a real period.**

**Amberpaw:** http://lh4(dot)ggpht(dot)com/mjbmeister/R_9P8Vf7mkI/AAAAAAAADm8/s4EGDcmPHew/s400/maine-coon-cat-eres(dot)jpg

**Hollypaw**: http://farm1(dot)static(dot)flickr(dot)com/157/429655048_0262871671(dot)jpg

**Redpaw**: http://www1(dot)istockphoto(dot)com/file_thumbview_approve/2356567/2/istockphoto_2356567_red_cat(dot)jpg It even has blue eyes! XD

**Windpaw**: http://www(dot)warrenphotographic(dot)co(dot)uk/photography/cats/15127(dot)jpg **This one's not exactly correct, since Windpaw is bigger than this, but close enough. :P**

**Reviews!**

**Fwirleh - I did, but I guess you don't remember. Just like me and Return! XD**

**icethroat21 - I know, right?! I was so ticked at Poppyfrost's mate. Why couldn't she have picked Mousewhisker? I have no idea. Honestly. Yeah, I saw the Moonpooly stuff, too. That part just makes me mad. D:**

**GinnyStar - Thankies~ Extra long chapter this time! ;)**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - I wanted to do that, but decided in the end to just make them useless. My brain was fried after that chapter. :P And yes, I did read spoilers. I normally do that for every book if I don't get it on the first day it comes out, with the exception of Eragon books. And I get taken by surprise everytime. ^.^' **

**xxSnowfirexx - I know, right? Blackclaw is officially an elder as of TFA and Barkface finally died. I mean, come on, Erin Hunter, he's freaking lasted FOUR series! Hee hee, thanks, Snowy-chan! :D:D**

**Lightkit - Haha, poor little kitteh. Little guy has no common sense at all. I'M SORRY! -hides- But I actually didn't give out any spoilers, so HA! Oh, wait -looks at xxSnowfirexx's review reply- Crap. Well, they told that one like three months ago. XD**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Amberpaw shuffled her paws nervously. _This is a really bad idea, _she worried, fidgeting outside the medicine den. _She might figure me out...what then if she asks about my paw? _The once-hard skin of her pads was pink and swollen now, but the gouge had finally started to heal over after nearly a moon. _But I need to know what she thinks; after all, she is a medicine cat._

"I can hear you out there!" Leafpool called from the darkness of the den. "Come on in; I'm not busy."

Amberpaw squeaked in fright, then righted herself, smoothening her ruffled pelt. "It's Amberpaw," she answered, pushing aside the dead brambles that shielded the mouth of the den.

"Amberpaw!" Leafpool sounded surprised as she turned around, her white paws turned a delicate shade of yellow from a wad of flower petals in front of her. "You never come in here. What's wrong? Do you need some herbs?"

"N-no!" Amberpaw stuttered, padding closer and sitting down awkwardly at the side of the den. "I just wanted to...come in and say hello."

Leafpool's eyes tightened slightly, and Amberpaw felt a rush of panic. "Oh, alright then. I thought that Lionstar sent you with a message."

"No, he's out hunting with Rainpaw." Amberpaw laid down, folding her paws beneath her chest, wincing slightly as she tugged at the raw surface. "Is there something wrong with me wanting to just come and visit?"

She immediately regretted her defensive words. Leafpool stopped fiddling with her herbs and turned to face her, her face concentrated. "Not at all," she responded, but her eyes were sharp with curiosity. "Well, how is your training going?"

"Good!" Amberpaw was relieved to see she had moved on to a new conversation. "Sorreltail is a great mentor. She's teaching me all about defensive positions." _As if I can do much more wounded like this, _she added silently.

Leafpool was nodding. "I remember when I learned battle moves from my mentor, Cinderpelt." She sounded sad.

"The one my mother is named after?"

Leafpool looked startled. "Y-yes, the same one," she mewed. "She had an injured hind leg, so she couldn't fight very well. She had a strong spirit and mind, though, and taught herself new ways to hunt so as to be less of a burden to the Clan. Or so she thought," she added, as if an afterthought. "She was a great cat and a good friend."

"I didn't know she was maimed," Amberpaw said slowly, thinking. _If she could live normally, so can I! _

Leafpool twisted her jaw. "I don't know if 'maimed' is the right word. Cinderpelt didn't think she was in any way different from other cats. You should have seen how she dealt with me after—" She cut off abruptly.

"After what?" Amberpaw tilted her head to the side.

Leafpool looked uncomfortable. "After...after I mixed up nettle seed and poppy one time. I thought she was going to box my ears." She closed her eyes happily and let out a purr.

"Hm." Amberpaw watched Leafpool closely, seeing how the medicine cat's pelt was still bristling nervously. "Leafpool, do cats besides medicine cats ever get messages from StarClan?"

Leafpool laughed softly. "Medicine cats are the cats that StarClan have chosen to translate their messages to the Clans."

"That's not what I asked," Amberpaw countered, trying not to sound too insistent. "Has there ever been a cat that got a message that wasn't a medicine cat?"

"Leaders do occasionally get them," Leafpool admitted.

"Firestar got them when he was still a kittypet." Jayfeather padded in, head down and mouth full of slick-looking dark green leaves. He gave Amberpaw a flick over the ears as he walked by, and she looked up, surprised by the affectionate gesture. "Why didn't you tell her that?"

Leafpool glared at him. "I was getting to that," she snapped. "Why don't you go sort those? Do you need any help?"

Jayfeather scoffed. "I don't need _your_ eyes, Leafpool." He rolled his own pale blue gaze, eyes almost as pale as Windpaw's...

She shut down the thought immediately.

"I was just asking." Leafpool turned back to Amberpaw, irritation still in her eyes. "So anyway, yes: Firestar had dreams from StarClan before he was leader. Then again, he was a cat of prophecy."

"Fire alone will save the Clan," Amberpaw recited. "Right? Sorreltail told me."

Leafpool nodded. "Right. And he did. He was one of the greatest leaders that ThunderClan ever had." She sounded sad again. "He would have liked you. You remind me of him sometimes. It's a shame you never got to meet him."

"Really?" Amberpaw puffed out her chest. She reminded Leafpool of Firestar! Well he was her kin, she recanted. Her father's mother's father, she thought, amused.

Leafpool purred. "None of you inherited his eyes, though. Firestar had bright green eyes like holly leaves." She flinched after she said the words, but recovered before Amberpaw could question her. "You and your sister have Lionstar's eyes."

"I wish I had his fur," Amberpaw mewed mournfully. "My fur is so pale; it's hard to hunt in green-leaf."

Jayfeather laughed unexpectedly, making Amberpaw start. "As if you had to hunt in green-leaf yet," he meowed. "You're barely eight moons old!"

"I'm ten moons old!" Amberpaw corrected. "I remember green-leaf! Well, late green-leaf, anyway."

Jayfeather shook his head. "You were just a kit! Wait two more seasons and then you'll _really _know about green-leaf."

"Well, anyway," said Leafpool, flicking her tail, "you have beautiful fur, Amberpaw—all three of you do. There's nothing for you to worry about." She purred again. "Maybe Foxclaw has noticed that, too."

Amberpaw grimaced, looking away. "But I don't like Foxclaw," she protested. "Not like that. He's just a friend."

"What about Mousewhisker?" Jayfeather supplied mockingly. "He's been all by his lonesome for a long time."

Leafpool glared in his direction. "You know he's padding after Poppyfrost," she told him.

"Trying to, anyway." Jayfeather laughed.

"That's fine," Amberpaw mewed quickly. "I'm not looking for a mate, anyway. I'm still an apprentice, for StarClan's sake!"

"Of course," Leafpool amended. "Well, Jayfeather and I need to get back to work." She got to her paws, shaking loose the clinging herb dust. "Oh, and while you're here, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."  
"Like what?" Amberpaw asked nervously.

"That paw of yours." Leafpool looked at her sternly, and Amberpaw felt a thrill of panic. "You didn't apply the cobwebs correctly. You're letting things get trapped between the binding and the pad. It's going to get infected. Let me see."

"N-no!" Amberpaw backed up quickly. "No, I can do it myself. Sorreltail taught me how."

Leafpool looked disgruntled, but didn't argue. "Alright then. Come back if you need anymore cobwebs."

"Here." Jayfeather got up and padded to the back of the den, coming back with a paw wrapped with sticky white webs. "Take this. It's better than the ones _you _would pick."

Unsure whether or not to be offended by this or not, Amberpaw reached out to clumsily pull them off of his paw, tugging at the gray fur.

"Watch it," he snapped, trying to push her paw away, but accidentally stepping on her wounded paw. She yelped, trying to yank her paw away at the same time that Jayfeather tried to step away, causing him to brush against her wounded paw, bloodied from her attempt to get away.

Jayfeather gasped, his eyes rolling up in his head. His throat rasped as he drew in breath, sounding like he was choking.

"Jayfeather!" Leafpool yowled, rushing over to him and supporting him with her shoulder. "What is it?"

"No!" he growled, his eyes still unfocused and wheeling. "Shadows prowling...blood in the sky...fire and ice...black claws in the ground."

Amberpaw was terrified, the blood turned to ice in her veins.

"Jayfeather, snap out of it!" Leafpool looked wildly at Amberpaw. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Amberpaw felt like she couldn't breathe. "He just...he just—"

Jayfeather shook his head, his gaze sharpening as he pulled out of his episode. He was breathing hard as if he had been running. "Leafpool?" he rasped. "Water..."

Amberpaw dashed over to the small pool, dunking a wad of moss in the icy-cold water as Leafpool hovered over Jayfeather. "Here." She deposited it in front of him so he could reach it.

But he didn't drink it. He reached out with one paw, squishing the water out of the moss so that it puddled on the ground in front of him. Scrabbling with his paws, he proceeded to wash them thoroughly, not answering Leafpool's panicked questions until he was done. "I had a vision," he told her. "Of the Place of No Stars."

Leafpool gasped. "What do you mean?" she whispered raggedly. Looking over her shoulder, she mewed, "Amberpaw, you should go now."

"No," Jayfeather interrupted. "She should hear this."

Amberpaw didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I have to go," she murmured. "I can't...can't be here."

"You must!" Jayfeather hissed. "I heard something from the forest with no light."

"The forest...what forest?"

Leafpool sighed. "Sit down, Amberpaw. We have much to tell you." She walked to the front of the den, leaning out through the bramble screen to look into the clearing. "StarClan is not the only place after death."

Amberpaw gasped. "What do you mean?" she whispered. "How can there be more?"

"There isn't," Jayfeather snapped. "You either go to StarClan or to the Place of No Stars—and you don't want to go there. Tigerstar, Brokenstar...all the dark-hearted are there."

"Is Hollystar?" Amberpaw asked.

There was an awkward silence. "Don't interrupt him, Amberpaw," Leafpool said finally, not unkindly.

"Anyway," Jayfeather grumbled. "Most cats don't know of this place. It's only for the cats that have done evil in their lifetimes."

"What does this have to do with me?" Amberpaw demanded. "I'm not evil!"

"I didn't say you were," Jayfeather snapped. "But you need to tell me what happened when you fought against Onestar. And the truth this time."

"We did tell you the truth." Amberpaw felt a twist of guilt in her belly at the lie.

"Not all of it. The place that you battled at—you said that it looked like a pool, right?"

"Well, there wasn't any water," she admitted, deciding it was better to tell the truth at this point. "But there was a hole in the center where it could have been."

"And did you try to drink it?" Jayfeather demanded.

"There wasn't any water!" Amberpaw hissed. "I already told you that."

"Was there moss?"

Leafpool was listening intently now, watching Jayfeather's face closely.

"Moss?" Amberpaw echoed.

"Not normal moss," Jayfeather clarified. "Small moss...like filmy moss. Something foul-tasting."

"Well..." Amberpaw scrunched up her face, trying to think. "I washed my pelt after we battled."

"With water or your tongue?" Leafpool demanded.

"My tongue, of course!"

They exchanged a significant look.

"What's going on?" Amberpaw asked. "What's wrong with me?"

"Jayfeather." Leafpool's voice was a warning.

He waved her off. "I think that you had contact with the cats of the dark forest."

Leafpool blinked. "You asked me...before...if any other cats got messages from StarClan—"

"StarClan or the other place?" Jayfeather hissed, realizing what she was saying.

"No way," Amberpaw argued, shaking her head. "No way. I didn't—"

"Did you have a dream or not?" Leafpool demanded. "You asked me before...but did you really have a dream? What happened in it? Was it a prophecy?"

"Just now my vision spoke of blood in the sky," said Jayfeather slowly. "What does that mean to you, Amberpaw? Does it remind you of anything?"

Amberpaw was still shaking her head. _I can't tell anyone! _she wailed internally. _They told me not to tell!_

Jayfeather looked frustrated. "We can't help if you don't tell us!" he snarled. "So spit it out!"

"Please, Amberpaw." Leafpool padded closer, gently trailing her tail down Amberpaw's flank.

"I can't tell. They told me not to tell." Amberpaw didn't know it was even her that spoke the words until she felt her mouth move.

"Who did?" Jayfeather's eyes were narrowed.

Amberpaw shook her head mutely.

Jayfeather spat angrily, his gray tabby pelt bristling. "Why can't you tell us?"

"Jayfeather, stop," Leafpool said gently. "She'll tell us in her own time."

"I won't tell you," Amberpaw cried. "I can't! I can't tell anyone!" Before they could stop her, she turned and raced out of the den, plunging out of the camp and into the snowy forest, ignoring the surprised calls on either side.

"Amberpaw!" Hollypaw called out, but she pretended that she didn't hear her sister calling, feeling the cold wind press her whiskers flat against her face.

_I have to get away. _It was all she could think, all that was in her mind, twisting around and around and around itself. _They want me to tell...but I can't ever tell anyone. I have to be alone forever...until..._She could put words to the thought, wouldn't allow herself to.

Her breath felt frozen in her chest as she raced blindly through the forest, not even feeling the pain in her paw anymore, even though the bandage was loose and trailed behind her, catching on fronds of dead ferns and twigs on the ground. "Why is this happening?" she wailed out loud, her voice carrying through the forest. "What did I ever do to anyone? I'm a good cat—a good apprentice! I don't deserve this!"

She didn't even know where the was until the harsh scent of ShadowClan made her lip curl. She slowed down, her muscles hot from the exercise, trotting a few more steps before stopping right in front of the border, close enough to make her nervous. _I wonder what would happen if I crossed, _she mused. _Would ShadowClan really kill me? That might—  
_"What are you doing here?"

Amberpaw looked up, distantly surprised to see Windpaw, his pale pelt bristling. "Hello," she mewed vacantly.

"I asked what you were doing here!" Windpaw repeated, moving to stand right in front of her, close enough for Amberpaw to see that his claws were extended, sharp and white. "So? Any reasons you were staring into my territory?"

Amberpaw didn't know what to say. "Um..."

His aggressive stance faltered for a heartbeat when he saw Amberpaw's expression. "Are you, uh...alright?"

She just stared at him, feeling rage build in her chest like rising water. "No," she said shortly. "I'm not. If you're here to kill me, get it over with! Hollypaw told me that ShadowClan cats defend their territory to the death, right? So what if I cross over it?" She raised a paw, challenging him with her eyes.

He just looked shocked. "What are you rattling along about?" he demanded. "You think I'm going to kill you?" He flinched as he said the words, but Amberpaw didn't.

"It would be doing me a favor," she said bitterly. "Really."

Windpaw narrowed his eyes. "Go home," he ordered.

"I don't have a home!" She felt desperation creep into her voice. "I can't go back there! They'll suspect me! They think—" She cut off abruptly, embarrassed that she was spilling all of her weaknesses to a ShadowClan cat, but she couldn't bring herself to call him her enemy.

"Well," Windpaw looked like he was painfully uncomfortable, "you can't come on this side. You're not ShadowClan."

"I wish I was," she whispered. "I wish that I had never been born into ThunderClan. Not if this had to happen to me."

Windpaw opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, sighing. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sorry," he told her. "If you're this upset over it, it must be pretty bad." He tried to make eye contact, but Amberpaw wouldn't look at him.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "But that doesn't really help."

He looked distasteful. "Sorry to be a bother then. I'll just go now." He half-turned away, like he was going to pad back into his own territory.

"Wait, Windpaw!" she called, taking a few hesitant steps forward, over the border and into ShadowClan territory, the whole time remembering her last ill-fated trip into the dark Clan's land.

"You aren't supposed to be here," he insisted, turning around, his tail flicking. "Go back to ThunderClan!"

"I can't," she whispered. "They know now." She wanted someone to trust, someone not in her Clan. Another cat that could understand her. And seeing the look on Windpaw's face after Blackstripe's denial of praise, she knew he would understand.

He sighed tightly. "You aren't going to leave?" he asked.

"I will if you want me to," she whispered in return.

He looked conflicted. "This isn't allowed by the code," he grumbled.

"What isn't? The code says we can have friends in other Clans. Aren't we friends?"

"I don't even know you," Windpaw mewed, but he didn't sound sure. "I don't have any friends. Friends make you weak."

Amberpaw tilted her head, trying to focus on someone else—someone else's pain and worries rather than hers. "What do you mean?"

Windpaw flattened his ears and looked away. "I had a friend once," he said softly. "But she died." His words were as blunt as river-smoothed rocks.

"I'm sorry," Amberpaw murmured. "Were you close?"

He twisted his mouth. "Close? We were...we were best friends." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. "But she's gone now, so there's no point in talking about her. I don't have friends anymore. They weaken you. They make you try and focus on other things." He looked up at her, his pale eyes blazing. "They break you."

"That's not true!" she protested, thinking of her littermates. "You can't possibly think that!"

"It is true. You know it's true."

"Your friend wouldn't want you to think that way," she growled. "What would she think if she saw you now?"

"Don't pretend like you knew Skypaw!" he snapped, looking more angry than she'd ever seen him. "You don't know anything about her!"

"Well you don't know anything about me, either!" she snapped right back. "And here you are, trying to tell me what to think!"

He curled his lip. "I don't have to explain myself to a ThunderClan rat," he growled.

"And I don't have to explain _myself _to a ShadowClan stink-pelt."

They glared at each other, half-crouched to spring, before Windpaw pulled away. "You look just like your sister," he taunted.

"Thanks," she mewed frostily. "I'm sure she'd have a few nice things to say to you, too."

That made him laugh, but the sound was hollow. "I'm sorry that you're not happy, but neither am I. I doubt that I can be of any more help to you."

"Because you were _so _helpful before," she snarled.

Windpaw looked surprised. "You don't show this side to your Clan, do you?" he asked slyly. "Not in front of your sister, at least. Or your brother that time."

Amberpaw growled. "Don't try to pretend you know me."

"And now we're back to where we started, aren't we?" he said dryly. "Why don't we go our separate ways now?"

"You seem pretty desperate for me to leave," she noted, trying to copy his sarcastic arch of his neck.

"ThunderClan are not welcome on our territory."

"Speaking for ShadowClan now, are you?"

"I'll be a warrior soon," he mewed loftily. "And then I'll have more of a say in things. I'm going to be leader one day, and then ShadowClan won't be known for its cruelty. Or its weakness now," he added. "Rowanstar showed Lionstar ShadowClan's throats at that battle. That wouldn't have happened if _I _was leader."

"Yes, we all know that you hate Lionstar," she hissed. "I wonder why?"

"Because," he said belligerently.

"Because why?" she pressed, flicking her tail from side to side.

Windpaw sighed, averting his gaze. "Look. I know what you're trying to do here, and it's not going to work. Eventually you're going to get bored and just go home."

"And what am I trying to do?"

"You're trying to be friends with me." He turned his pale blue gaze back on her. "And I don't need any friends. I'm fine by myself."

She gaped. "I'm not trying to be friends with you, arrogant tom! I'm irritated!"

He smirked, nodding. "Okay, sure. See you at the next Gathering, then."

"See you then," she replied coolly, taking a few steps backwards. "I'm leaving now."

"Okay. Bye." But he didn't move.

"Bye."

They glared at each other for another heartbeat.

"Honestly," Windpaw sighed, exasperated. "Fine, I give. We can be friends." He grimaced, as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth. "But only because you insist."

Amberpaw scoffed. "I don't insist, because I don't care if we're friends."

Windpaw tilted his head. "You don't?"

Amberpaw stared at him in disgust. "Are you serious?"

"Here, let's agree to something." He padded closer, crossing the ThunderClan border to stand right in front of her. "Let's agree to be honest with each other," he murmured. "Since we're in different Clans, we don't have to worry about our leaders finding out what we're talking about, right? It'll be like a secret."

"A secret?" she repeated, but was confused at why he was so insistent that they be friends, especially after he supposedly had sworn off having friends.  
He nodded, eager now. "I can trust you, can't I, Amberpaw?"

She knew what he was asking: he was asking her to lie to her Clan, to be able to talk to a ShadowClan cat and not tell her sister or brother or even Lionstar about it. But she also knew that having Windpaw as a friend also meant that she could tell him about the dream, since the light had only told her not to tell cats in her Clan. "Can I trust you?" she whispered.

He nodded, eyes sharp. "You can."

"Then alright," she agreed, nodding. "I guess that makes us friends now, huh?"

He made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat. "I guess that does."

* * *

**So you got to see a little of Windpaw's angst. ^.^ Just in time for me to take a month-long literary vacation! Come and join me at NaNoWriMo, guys! My penname's the same there as it is here! This is so sad; I'm getting teary-eyed. -blows nose-**

**Adieu, my reviewers! See you on December 1st!**

**Shadow~**


	16. Chapter 15

**Heeeeeeeeeey, guys! Look, I'm alive! :D:D **

**I'm pleased to report that I did in fact win NaNoWriMo a day before it ended. ^.^' Next year I won't leave it 'til so late! :D If you wanna read a clip of my story, you can head over to http://www(dot)nanowrimo(dot)org///eng/user/492811 and check it out! **

**GinnyStar - Thanks as usual for the review! I'm glad you like it so much. :D**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - I dunno if your birthday has occured yet, but happy birthday! This chapter's for you then, AAP-chan! XD**

**xxSnowfirexx - Heehee! I do love me a good spoiler. Unfortunately, I do not have the new Warriors book, since I didn't get it on the day it came out. D: D: And that hasn't happened since The Darkest Hour. T-T Was it good? -hopes- Unfortunately once again, I heard that it crushed the few little plotlines that I wanted to hit in this fic, so I'mma have to switch some stuffs around. :D**

**Skyst - I think he's my favorite, too. I just love the irritating little meanies, y'know? That's probably why I like Jace so much. And Sawyer. And InuYasha. And Kyo. -sighs- I want them all. **

**Lightkit - I sorrrrrrrry! -offers chocolate- I guess not everyone loves spoilers the way I do. And I do love me some spoilers. :D**

**icethroat21 - Aah, Fanta. I love me some Fanta, too. One time, I was driving by this random parade and they dropped a whole armful of Monster energy drinks into my car. So I drank three in a row in the span of 15 minutes. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night. They're definitely one of those things where you take a sip and are like, "What the heck is this? This is crap!" but you keep drinking it anyway. :D**

**Fwooooooooosh/Fwirl - We're totally NaNo winner buddies. How cool is that,** **kohai? I'm just so darn excited that I sneezed! XD**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Hollypaw pounced forward, her claws sinking into the soft feathers of the thrush she had surprised. It died without even an alarmed squawk.

Graystripe purred, walking up beside her to sniff at the fresh-kill. "Excellent," he praised. "Your training is coming along quite nicely. We may have to consider asking Lionstar about your assessment."

Hollypaw gasped, curling her tail up behind her in excitement. "Really?"

"Really." Graystripe nodded to the thrush. "We can take that back to camp for Honeyfern. I'm sure she could use all the extra meat she could get with all those kits of hers."

She pulled a face. "Can't I keep going for a little longer?" she asked.

Graystripe frowned. "You know it's important to keep the queens well-fed. It's our—"

"—duty as warriors," she finished. "I know, I know." _But that doesn't mean I have to like it._

"Tell you what." Graystripe looked around him as if watching for listeners. "You can help me on a special mission."

"Oh?" Despite herself, Hollypaw leaned closer, curious. "Like what?"

"We're going to go check out the WindClan border."

Hollypaw bounced closer, head tilted to one side. "Why?" she asked excitedly. "Is it a mission from Lionstar? Are we going to see WindClan? Can we go see Onestar? Is his face even uglier up close?"

Graystripe was already shaking his head, amused. "Calm down, Hollypaw. I'll answer all of your questions on the way, alright?"

"Alright. That works for me!" she chirped, already trotting away towards the border.

"Wait! Come and take care of this prey first."

Hollypaw rushed around and scooped up the limp bird, tossing it into the nearest relatively snow-free clump of bushes and wheeling to face Graystripe, eyes wide. "Can we go now? Please?"

"Okay. Yes, it's a mission from Lionstar; no, we aren't going to see WindClan; no, we aren't going to see Onestar—hopefully—and yes, Onestar does have an ugly face." His whiskers twitched as he bounded next to her through the snow.

She laughed, skirting a small pile of snow. Leaf-bare was starting to lay into the forest, filling the woods with biting wind and blanketing the ground with sometimes several tail-lengths deep of soft, cold snow. Now that she had had to deal with nearly two moons of it, Hollypaw was starting to lose interest in snow, finding it more and more irritating and less and less fun. Constant cold and wet fur was definitely not enjoyable, especially when it froze her pelt into weird-looking icicles that made Redpaw and Amberpaw laugh at her.

_Amberpaw._ Her sister had _definitely _been more cheerful of late, a fact that made Hollypaw wonder what had changed. After nearly a moon of not speaking and barely eating, Amberpaw had returned to her usual good humor almost immediately.

_Well, whatever,_ Hollypaw thought dismissively. _It's not like I'm going to complain about it. She's barely even limping anymore. _

Graystripe flicked his tail suddenly, falling into a crouch.

Hollypaw stopped short, skidding a small stream of snow in front of her paws. "Prey?" she asked in a whisper.

Graystripe nodded, yellow eyes intent on something in front of him. He crept forward slowly, setting each paw down individually.

Hollypaw peered over his shoulder, watching as he stalked closer and closer to the mouse, who had its head down nibbling among the dead stems of grass. Her belly rumbled as she imagined how good it would taste after two moons of dry, scrawny bird meat.

Graystripe's haunches waggled as he prepared to strike, then with a rush of motion, he leapt towards the mouse, grabbing it in one paw and breaking its neck with the other.

"Wow!" Hollypaw swept down to his side, eyes wide as she looked at the mouse, so deliciously plump for so late in leaf-bare. "Nice catch!"

Graystripe brushed his paw over his nose, looking pleased. "It'll make a good meal for Dustpelt and Sandstorm," he said, eyes gleaming.

A pit of disappointment sank in her belly. She had hoped he would have offered to split it up and eat it right then. "Graystripe," she said slowly as he buried it under a layer of snow, the warm scent of it soon disappearing after. "Didn't you train with them?"

Kicking snow over the top of the mouse with his hind paws, Graystripe pulled a face. "Are you implying that I'm old?" he asked, nose wrinkled.

"No!" she said at once. "But I mean, it's true, isn't it?" she added tentatively.

Graystripe nodded. "Well, this isn't exactly a topic I wish to discuss… But yes. I did train with them. I was actually made a warrior before them," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm old! I can keep up with the best patrols still. I'll stop being a warrior when I'm dead. Living's for the living."

Hollypaw felt a rush of pride for her mentor. "That's what I think, too," she said, puffing out her chest.

Graystripe scoffed, flicking his tail over her ears. "So that's why it took so long for you to get out of your nest this morning, hm? Because you want to live life to the fullest?"

Hollypaw dodged away, glaring at him. "It's true!" she protested.

"Uh-huh. We'll see when you're the oldest apprentice and your littermates are already warriors."

Hollypaw knew he was just teasing but just the thought of not being a warrior sent a surge of anger through her. She could picture Redpaw's arrogant face in front of her eyes, sharp as if he was standing right next to her. His whiskers would twitch and he would lift his chin, sneering at her—mocking her with those pale eyes of his.

Her lip curled as she imagined it.

"That won't happen," she spat. "I'm going to be a great warrior! Just like Lionstar and Cinderheart and Hollystar!"

Graystripe's eyes widened fractionally but Hollypaw saw it.

"Why does no one like to talk about her?" she demanded, angry now. "Every time I mention her, everyone always changes the subject. Even Cinderheart won't talk about her. Why is that?"

Graystripe just kept moving. "We need to get to the border."

"See?" she hissed, skidding to a stop. "Why won't you tell me about her, Graystripe? You're supposed to teach me about our Clan and the history behind it, but how can that work if you leave out key bits of information?"

"Because," he stated bluntly, turning to face her, "it's not my place to tell."

That stopped Hollypaw short. "Then who's is it?" she asked.

"Lionstar's."

She spat impatiently. "But he doesn't even speak about it! He refuses to! It's like he doesn't even have a sister!"

Graystripe lowered his gaze. "I'm sure he doesn't think of it that way."

Hollypaw just shook her head shortly. "Whatever."

"You can think what you like, Hollypaw. I know you will anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She stared hard at her mentor. "Are you saying I'm not right?"

"I'm saying," he said hotly, "that you should show some respect for a cat older than you, not to mention your mentor!"

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. "Sorry," she spit out, not feeling sorry at all. "Don't you think I have the right to know about my own kin?"

"That's not my decision to make. Now can we get going again? I want to be back in time for the ceremony."

That got her attention. Falling into step with Graystripe again, she asked, "What ceremony?"

"If you would have been paying attention earlier, you would know," he pointed out.

Hollypaw just huffed, averting her gaze. "What ceremony, Graystripe?" she asked in her most sickly-sweet polite voice.

Graystripe laughed softly. "Rainpaw and Oakpaw are becoming warriors tonight," he said, eyes glittering. "How could you have missed Oakpaw's bragging?"

"I was busy," she muttered. "Amberpaw and I were play-fighting."

"I saw. You're coming along nicely on your battle skills."

Hollypaw couldn't keep a smug swagger out of her step. "You think so? Will I be a warrior soon?"

"Soon enough." He whisked his tail over her back. "You shouldn't want to grow up so quickly, Hollypaw. Soon you'll be an elder in the den, waiting on Faintkit and Harekit to bring you fresh-kill."

"Mm," was all she said in reply, seeing a break in the trees ahead. "Isn't that it?" she asked, already dashing ahead to push her nose through the spindly branches. She gasped as she looked at the snow-bound sweeping moorland, dusted here and there with yellowed gorse plants and frosty, curling brambles that still looked sharp and stiff. The wind ruffled the thick fur around her ears, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

Graystripe padded out beside her. "The border runs as far as the stream does," he murmured, pointing with his nose to the frozen water that was only a few tail-lengths wide. "WindClan know not to cross without repercussions."

"Have they in a while?" she asked absently, looking at the bubbling of air underneath the crust of ice—the water was still unfrozen a few kitten-steps below the surface! She wondered what it would be like to press her paws through the ice to get to the water below…if she would get trapped underneath the ice and drown like a wet rat, her nose and paws pressed up against the bottom side of the ice as she was carried away…

She shivered, but not from the cold.

"We can walk along the edge here until the lake. Lionstar wanted us to make sure that every pawstep of the boundary was…"

Hollypaw stopped listening as Graystripe droned on, her eyes fixed on something twitching in the bushes a few fox-lengths away from them on their side of the stream. "Graystripe," she said suddenly, realizing too late that she had cut him off in mid-sentence. "Can I go over there? I think I saw some prey."

Looking rather affronted, Graystripe nodded. "You can catch up to me after that. Make sure you don't cross the stream."

"Okay, I won't," she promised, already setting off towards the motion. She pressed into the bushes, looking over her shoulder to make sure Graystripe was out of view before heading in the direction she had seen the movement.

_Put your weight low over your paws. Make sure every step is silent and precise._

_Thanks for all the know-how, Graystripe,_ she told herself, lowering herself even closer to the ground as a rustling sound came from directly in front of her. Eyes fixed on the patch of brown fur she could see, she bent forward, every muscle tense and ready to spring. With one last deep breath, she leapt, hitting her target solidly.

"I thought so," she scoffed. "Try to be a little more quiet when you're trespassing next time, idiot. I could hear you from halfway down the stream."

The brown she-cat under her paws spat angrily. "Let me up!"

"Don't think so." Hollypaw looked closer at the cat. "You can't be more than an apprentice! I know that all WindClan cats are supposed to be scrawny, but you look even punier than the normal kind."

"Shut up!" the she-cat snarled, lashing up with one forepaw she had ripped free and aiming for Hollypaw's face.

Hollypaw dodged it easily, feeling the wind created from the claws stir her whiskers. Sinking her claws into the short fur of her paw, she wrenched the WindClan cat's foreleg back and pinned it against the ground, eliciting a shriek of agony. "Why are you on my territory?" she snarled.

"Let me go!"

"Tell me or you're going to lose a paw."

The she-cat's blue eyes were filmed with pain. "I'm trying to get some food for my mother," she said at last. "She's hungry and has no food for her kits."

"Hunt on your own territory!" Hollypaw spat. "WindClan doesn't belong on this territory! Go home and hunt some rabbits."

The she-cat hissed in Hollypaw's face. "So it's true when they say that ThunderClan are cruel," she spat softly.

That surprised Hollypaw. "We aren't cruel, stupid she-cat!"

"It's Splashpaw!" the apprentice shot back. "And one WindClan warrior is worth the whole of ThunderClan. I know all about your Lionstar. He doesn't give a mousetail for WindClan or any other Clan!"

"That's how it's supposed to be! What, do you want to be our kittypets?"

Splashpaw glared venomously up at her. "Never."

"Then what are you trying to say? ThunderClan should hand over our prey for a few skinny rabbit-chasers?" Hollypaw shook her head. "Not a chance."

"Oh, and you speak for your Clan now?"

Hollypaw scoffed. "Were you just going to take what you could? Try and catch some squirrels? Don't make me laugh. You couldn't catch a half-dead squirrel if it sat on your paws."

Splashpaw let out a furious snarl, thrashing herself loose and leaping at Hollypaw with extraordinary speed, making her recoil. Now on her paws, Splashpaw lowered herself into some kind of half-crouch—low to the ground but with her paws splayed out to either side of her body as if to run.

Hollypaw watched all of this, trying to quickly calculate how to attack. "You're going to fight me on my own land?"

"No," Splashpaw hissed. "I'm going to _beat _you on your own land." With those words, she lunged forward, feinting a blow to the neck to scrape her claws along Hollypaw's belly as she raced along the side, whirling at the end to finish up with a dizzying blow to the back of her head.

Hollypaw reared on her hind legs, slamming down on Splashpaw, but the she-cat had dodged again, zooming underneath Hollypaw's legs like an adder and ripping out a pawful of her gray chest fur. Enraged, Hollypaw twisted her head to the side, snapping her teeth shut a kitten-step from Splashpaw's small ears. "Come here," she snarled.

"Not a chance!" Splashpaw leapt up in the air, claws unsheathed as she went to land on Hollypaw's back.

Hollypaw reared back again, but not far enough to fully evade the attack. Splashpaw's claws caught her along the side of her jaw, splitting open the skin and sending rivulets of blood down her chin. Howling in pain, Hollypaw lashed out blindly, connecting solidly to Splashpaw's retreating haunches. A rush of satisfaction filled her when she saw the WindClan apprentice's white-speckled flanks flecked with drops of blood.

"Giving up yet?" Splashpaw taunted, but she was panting.

_All that energy wasted. She hasn't been eating well. _That was evident enough from her bony flanks—Hollypaw could see every rib on the she-cat.

A flash of enlightenment hit her. That was it!

"Come on." Hollypaw beckoned her with her tail. "Let's see if you can hit me again, shall we? My bet's on 'no.'"

Predictably, Splashpaw bared her fangs. "Doubt it!" She began to circle again, a quick, agitated movement.

Hollypaw stood stolidly in the center, eyes fixed on Splashpaw's steps. She lunged forward as if to attack, and the she-cat leapt back, stumbling a bit over a scrap of loose bramble. Regaining her footing almost instantly, Splashpaw resumed her swift circling, each step bringing her closer and closer to Hollypaw.

"Come on!" Hollypaw began to shout, alarming loud in the silent forest. "Let's see! Come on!"

Splashpaw, turning in one of her lightning-quick movements, lashed out her claws again, this time towards Hollypaw's neck.

Hollypaw leapt back out of range, dipping her head and butting Splashpaw in the chest hard.

The she-cat stumbled back again, but this time Hollypaw was ready. She pounced forward, knocking Splashpaw off of her paws in an extraordinary tackle, and sending them both crashing down the embankment, screeching and hissing furiously.

"Splashpaw!"

The voice, loud and full of fury, came crashing across the stream, but Hollypaw didn't look away. Now that Splashpaw couldn't dodge away, she was fully in Hollypaw's grasp. She sank her teeth into Splashpaw's close-set ears, worrying at the tender skin there until she tasted blood in her mouth.

"That's enough!"

Hollypaw was dragged halfway into the air as someone lifted Splashpaw into the air, her fangs sunk deep into the apprentice's scruff.

"Let go, apprentice," came the muffled order, followed by a thump of a forepaw to the back of her neck.

"Trespassers!" Hollypaw accused though her mouthful of fur, staring wide-eyed at the black tom that was standing above her.

"I'm here to fetch this fool," he spat, twisting Splashpaw, who was still raking her claws at Hollypaw, her blue eyes narrowed with fury.

"Put me down, Crowfeather!" she shrieked. "Put me down!"

"Crowfeather," came another male voice. "Put my daughter on the ground, please." The voice was taut with fury.

"What is going on here?" Graystripe's voice came now, loud and angry. "Crowfeather, Breezepelt, explain yourselves!"

"We came because of the noise," Breezepelt explained, wrenching Splashpaw away from Hollypaw's teeth.

Hollypaw got to her feet, spitting out the mouthful of brown fur that clung to her teeth.

Graystripe padded up to stand beside her. "Please leave immediately," he said politely, but Hollypaw saw his claws were unsheathed.

"There's no need to fight," Crowfeather put in smoothly. "We're just here to collect what's ours."

"I'm nobody's," Splashpaw panted, her neck bleeding in several places.

"Shut it, Splashpaw," Breezepelt snapped, nudging her to her paws. "Imagine what Heathertail would have said if she would have caught you here."

Splashpaw just set her jaw belligerently. "She's too busy with Blazekit and Leopardkit to notice me," she spat, a sneer on her face.

Crowfeather just rolled his eyes minutely. "Can you keep her quiet?" he hissed over his shoulder to Breezepelt, who looked affronted.

"Get off our land now," Graystripe reiterated.

Crowfeather dipped his head. "WindClan have no quarrel with ThunderClan," he said formally. "This was only an apprentice mistake."

"Of course. See that it doesn't happen again." His eyes were flinty as the patrol walked away, Breezepelt supporting a limping Splashpaw. "You knew, didn't you? That's what you wanted to go by yourself."

"Yes," she answered, unashamed.

Graystripe sighed tightly. "Don't you know by now that you can't keep doing things like this, Hollypaw?"

Incredulous, Hollypaw turned to stare at him. "Are you serious? I just turned out a trespasser!"

"You have to tell me next time!" he hissed right back. "What if she had killed you?"

"Ha! Fat chance!"

Graystripe just shook his head. "Unbelievable. Come on, we're going back to camp now."

Hollypaw's triumphant tail wilted to the ground. "Aren't we going to hunt?"

"No," he answered flatly, padding away and leaving Hollypaw to follow sullenly, furious that even though she had finally done something for her Clan, she was still being punished for it.

* * *

**So...not much happened here. My bad. And my writing style has changed from Erin Hunterish to totally Shadowish. Hope you guys don't mind. ;)**

**Also, I saw New Moon twice this past week. Hopefully most of you are going, "WTF, Shadow? You said you hated Twilight!" I do...but I love me some shirtless Taylor Lautner. -blissful sigh- How could whats-her-face pick that sparkly guy over him? HOW?!**

**-cries-**

**Shadow**

**(But really guys, that movie was a lot better than Twilight. And it had giant 3-D wolves! Even if the plotline sucks, you throw in giant wolves and you're golden. ;))**


	17. Chapter 16

**Quickie update! (Even though I should be finishing up my novel but whatever...)**

**GinnyStar - Thankies as usual!**

**xxSnowfirexx - Pretty much, yeah? But I mean, Heathertail's your mom and Crowfeather's your grandpa...you're really screwed either way. XD Oh, so it was good? I think I'mma ask for it for Christmas or something. I'm so disappointed in poor Breezepelt, but at least--thank everything good and holy in this world--it's not Tigerstar's kin this time. **

**Lightkit - Me tooooo~ -noms chocolate- I don't really care for him either, honestly, so I kinda made him out to be a weenie in my fics. :P I feel sorry for the little dude, though. **

**Fwirleh - Darn you, nitpicky kohai! You had to go and point that out, didn't you? :P**

**icethroat21 - Heehee! Thanks, Icy-chan! I know, right? That happens to me all the time. But sometimes, it turns out that you end up liking it. Like me and hushpuppies. I do love me some hushpuppies in an entirely stereotypical way. XD I do like Hollypaw, even though she doesn't really think a lot of the time, y'know? Not at all like our dear friend Hollystar. :D **

**Onto the story!**

* * *

"Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the gray apprentice vowed in a strong voice, his dark eyes shining happily.

Lionstar nodded proudly. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Rainpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rainshadow. StarClan honors your loyalty and dedication, and welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He rested his golden muzzle on his former apprentice's head, letting the newly-named Rainshadow lick his shoulder respectfully.

"And do you, Oakpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Lionstar turned to face Rainshadow's sister, who was kneading the ground impatiently.

"I do," she said loudly, letting her voice carry over the watching cats.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Oakpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Oakdapple. StarClan honors your pride and courage, and welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Oakdapple's green eyes were bright as Lionstar rested his muzzle on her head as well, licking his shoulder and stepping back to stand with her brother, letting the sound of their cheering Clanmates break over their heads.

"Rainshadow, Oakdapple!" Redpaw joined in, happy that his friends could get their names, though still fervently wishing for the day he, too, would get his full name.

Amberpaw got to her paws. "Let's go and congratulate them!" she suggested, already padding away.

"Okay!" Redpaw turned to Hollypaw. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," she said grumpily, getting to her paws slowly and lagging along after Redpaw. One side of her jaw was plastered with a thick layer of cobwebs, the tangy smell of herbs coming from underneath the sticky bandage.

"What's your problem?" he demanded. "Is this still about that fight earlier?" Hollypaw had told Amberpaw and him all about the WindClan cat she had turned out of ThunderClan's land.

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure Graystripe's just upset because of the complications that could have happened." Amberpaw was back to her optimistic self, a thought that had nagged at the edge of Redpaw's mind for days.

Hollypaw set her ears back, eyes narrowed. "I shouldn't be punished if I'm in the right," she grumbled. "Graystripe would have chased that scrawny rat out of the territory anyway. I just beat him to it."

"Don't you think you should have reported it first?" Amberpaw frowned disapprovingly.

Hollypaw just stared at her. "Are you serious? What would you do if you saw an enemy cat on ThunderClan territory? Let him walk right in and offer him some fresh-kill?"

No!" Amberpaw argued. "But I wouldn't go leaping on him. Especially if he was a WindClan cat. You should have known better than to pick a fight with one of those apprentices. They're quick."

"So I've heard," Hollypaw said dryly, lifting one paw to her face pointedly.

"Which apprentice was it?" Redpaw asked curiously.

Hollypaw scoffed. "Some stupid she-cat. Wetpaw or Softpaw or something."

The name made Redpaw prick his ears. "Splashpaw?"

"Yeah, that's it." Hollypaw shot him a suspicious look, her eyes dimly amused. "How would you know?"

He flattened his ears. "Not for any weird reason," he spat out. "She was the one who came on our territory before."

"She's been here before?" Hollypaw sounded surprised, her eyes fixed on Amberpaw, who was chatting happily to Oakdapple.

"Yes. My first trip to the WindClan border she was there."

"Mm," was all that Hollypaw said as she stepped forward to congratulate Rainshadow, pressing her nose into his side swiftly. "Good job, Rainshadow! Don't get used to it, 'cause I'll be a warrior soon, too, and then you better watch out!"

Rainshadow chuckled softly. "We'll see," he said, flicking his tail against her shoulder. Turning to Redpaw, he nodded. "Looks like I can go hunt whenever I like now."

Redpaw flattened his ears. "I won't be an apprentice for much longer, you know."

"And then we'll be able to boss Faintkit and Harekit around," Hollypaw joked, moving away to congratulate Oakdapple.

Redpaw followed slowly, his eyes on his sister. As usual, her confidence in herself was strong—nearly to a hardheaded degree. Even after she had failed her mentor by battling a WindClan cat, she didn't miss a beat. He spat softly to himself when he thought of it.

"Hey." Cinderheart pressed her nose against his ear. "Did you wish them luck?"

"Yes, Cinderheart," he answered, closing his eyes as she began to clean his face.

"Your father is so proud of Rainshadow. He'll make a great warrior—Oakdapple, too. Poppyfrost trained her well."

Redpaw looked over to see the tortoiseshell she-cat standing close to her former apprentice, amber eyes shining as the other cats came to greet Oakdapple by her new name. He felt a twinge of amusement when he saw the gray-and-white pelt of Mousewhisker standing close next to her.

Cinderheart followed his gaze. "Maybe they'll become mates," she said lightly. "I'd love to have some more kin."

"Me too," Redpaw answered.

"Well, you're always good with Honeyfern's kits," Cinderheart praised. "They'll be apprentices soon. Honeyfern will be so sad."

"She can have some more kits, can't she?" The thought filled Redpaw with a warm bubble of happiness. More kits for the Clan and for him to watch grow up big and strong.

Cinderheart shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just happy with three." She nuzzled his side warmly. "Three soon-to-be warriors."

Redpaw purred. "I should go ask Berrynose when he wants me to meet him."

"Go on, then." She nudged his shoulder. "Come by and visit me sometime. I barely get to see you three anymore." Her voice sounded distinctly wistful.

Redpaw felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't thought of his mother in a long time. "Alright," he mewed, pushing his nose into her thick fur before trotting away, eyes searching out the pale cream pelt of his mentor.

Berrynose was sitting next to Honeyfern, letting his kits tumble over his large paws, his blue eyes alight with amusement. He looked up when he heard Redpaw approach. "Ah, Redpaw! I'm glad you're here. I just spoke with Bumblestripe, and he's agreed to take you out tonight to teach you listening."

"Listening?" Redpaw echoed.

Berrynose nodded. "Bumblestripe has excellent hearing. I can't think of anyone better to teach you."

Redpaw was still unconvinced. "I can listen fine, though," he protested.

"That's not the point. When it's dark outside, you need to use every other sense to your advantage to make up for your lack of sight. What would happen if you were on a patrol at night with a new moon? What would happen then?"

Honeyfern gently tugged Faintkit off of Berrynose's tail. "It's definitely good to get training for as many different tactics as possible, Redpaw."

"And then you can teach me." Harekit pushed out of his father's grip to stand in front of Redpaw, drawing himself up to make himself look taller.

"You'll learn in your own time." Berrynose looked down affectionately at his son. "Lionstar will make sure you have a great mentor."

"But I want Redpaw as my mentor," the little kit protested.

"Harekit, I'll still be an apprentice when you become one," Redpaw laughed, tousling Harekit's ears with one forepaw. "We'll be denmates!"

"Well, maybe if you hurried, you could be my mentor," he grumbled, moving away from Redpaw's paw.

Faintkit pounced on her brother's gray-brown tail. "That's not how it works, stupid!"

"Don't call your brother stupid, Faintkit." Berrynose took on the tone that he used when Redpaw did a fighting move wrongly. "It's not very nice."

"Sorry, Berrynose." The little she-kit lowered her tail, ashamed, but Redpaw could see her eyes gleaming.

_Oh great,_ he thought. _Another Hollypaw._

"Anyway, Redpaw." Berrynose looked back up to his apprentice. "Go and find Bumblestripe now. He'll be waiting."

"Okay. Thank you, Berrynose!" He waved his tail in farewell to the family, bounding through the warriors to find Bumblestripe. "Ooh!" he huffed when he ran into someone. "Sorry, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw."

The ginger she-cat pulled back to laugh. "It's alright, Redpaw. You should watch where you're going, you know." She pushed her nose into his thick fur.

Brambleclaw purred. "You know, he reminds me of you, Squirrelflight."

"No way," she protested. "He's definitely got your blood."

Redpaw frowned up at them. "Have you seen Bumblestripe?"

"I think he's over with his sister," Brambleclaw told him. "Blossomfall."

"Okay, thanks." He padded away before he could get caught up in their bickering again. As much as he liked his father's parents, they could get rather on the annoying side.

"Hey, Redpaw! Over here!" Bumblestripe yawned widely as he waved his tail to Redpaw.

"Hello, Bumblestripe," Redpaw greeted, padding over. "Berrynose told me you were going to help with my training today?"

"Sure enough!" Bumblestripe agreed, dipping his head. "Blossomfall's gonna help us out." He nodded to his sister, who was sitting calmly beside him, her pale blue eyes warm.

"Okay," Redpaw said excitedly. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," Bumblestripe started, getting to his paws. "As you know, cats from different Clans have different traits. WIndClan are small and fast, RiverClan are broad-shouldered and strong, ShadowClan are light-footed and cunning, and we—ThunderClan—are big and fierce, not to mention good at hunting through the undergrowth." He flicked his tail to Redpaw, beckoning him to follow. "Hey, Briarpelt!" he called to his other sister. "Come and help out!"

Briarpelt was lying on her side, halfheartedly watching Rainshadow and Oakdapple take their places in the center of the clearing, ready to begin their silent vigil. "No thanks," she called back, yawning. "I'm not in the mood for a romp through the woods."

"Come on," Bumblestripe complained, padding over to nudge his sister's dark brown shoulder. "It'll be fun! Our first kind-of-mentor thing."

Briarpelt twisted her lips. "I don't want to go. I'm too tired."

Blossomfall blinked serenely. "It'll be a lot of fun," she put in. "You should come, Briarpelt."

But Briarpelt just closed her eyes and laid her head on her paws. "No thanks," she repeated.

Redpaw just shuffled awkwardly behind them.

Seeing this, Blossomfall flicked her tail down his shoulder. "Briarpelt's just being a grouch today," she whispered to him, eyes gleaming. "Why don't we get someone else to help, Bumblestripe?"

Bumblestripe pulled a face. "I thought we could do this all together."

"I'm sure Icepelt would love to help," Briarpelt mewed, her eyes still closed. "She'd do anything for you, Bumblestripe."

He made a gagging sound. "S-s-surely not!" he stuttered out, his ears flat and his pelt bristling. "Don't say such stupid things."

"Uh-huh. I've seen the way she watches you." Briarpelt blinked her eyes open to stare smugly at her brother. "Aren't you lucky?"

"Redpaw, let's go," Bumblestripe said abruptly, swinging around to grasp Redpaw by the scruff. Redpaw yelped in alarm, thrashing, but Bumblestripe was already hurrying out of the clearing.

"Put me down!" Redpaw protested. Why did everyone insist on carrying him like a kit?

"Sorry," Bumblestripe said, breathing hard. He set Redpaw down gently, shaking out his pelt. "It was nothing. Anyway," he went on before anyone could say anything. "Redpaw, you're going to be a ThunderClan warrior."

"Yes, I know," Redpaw stated, mystified.

"No, no." Bumblestripe shook his head. "I mean, right now, you're a ThunderClan warrior. And Blossomfall is a ShadowClan warrior." He tilted his head to gesture to his sister. "She's going to sneak up on you."

"What?" Redpaw stared at him, open-mouthed. "Are you serious? I thought I was going to be listening!"

"You are," he assured Redpaw. "But to pawsteps. Remember what I told you about the Clans? Well, because of those differences, cats of different Clans have different pawsteps. ShadowClan's steps are lighter and more even than WindClan's, and RiverClan's are heavier than ThunderClan's."

"But how are you going to show me that?" Redpaw asked Blossomfall, still confused. "You're a ThunderClan warrior."

"Because," she said simply, "I remember what they sound like."

Redpaw tilted his head. "How?"

"That doesn't matter," Bumblestripe cut in. "I'll start off showing you what the pawsteps sound like, okay?" He padded a ways out into the forest, flicking his tail to Redpaw.

Redpaw padded after him as they headed deeper into the forest where the light was faint. Tipping his head back, Redpaw couldn't see a moon or any stars. _So this is why Berrynose wanted me to train tonight, _he realized. _It's a new moon._

"Okay, this'll do." Bumblestripe's voice was so low that Redpaw thought for a heartbeat he was talking to himself. "Alright. Blossomfall, let's show him ThunderClan."

Blossomfall nodded, stepping out into the clear space. She dropped into the hunting crouch, padding forward a few steps, her body low over her paws. "Can you hear the steps?" she asked as she moved.

"Um, sure?" Redpaw didn't really understand the point of this training: if he could see a warrior before it was coming, surely he could stop the cat before it got to him.

Right?

"Pay attention," Bumblestripe ordered. "This is important."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Redpaw apologized. "I'm trying!"

"ShadowClan," Bumblestripe said, seeming to ignore Redpaw.

Blossomfall moved again, lifting herself high on her paws, her back arched.

Redpaw strained his ears, trying to discern the difference.

"Anything?" Bumblestripe prompted.

Redpaw nodded. "Yes," he lied.

Bumblestripe sighed widely, his ears set back. "Okay, I can tell you need a demonstration." He nodded to Blossomfall. "You know what to do."

She nodded, turning around and leaping away into the forest.

"Let's go, Redpaw," Bumblestripe said, starting to walk away in the opposite direction Blossomfall had taken.

"Wait!" Redpaw protested. "Where'd she go?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's go."

Bewildered, Redpaw slowly followed after Bumblestripe. "Are we going to catch up to her? She went the other way."

"We aren't." Bumblestripe's voice was short. "We're going for a walk now."

"A walk?" Redpaw began to wonder what was really going on as he padded beside the gray tabby warrior into the dark forest, his ears straining for any sound.

He was alerted to a quick rustling sound in the bushes, wheeling to face it. "What was that?" he hissed to Bumblestripe.

Bumblestripe stopped, one paw in midair. "What do you mean?" he asked, voice innocent.

"That sound!"

"What do _you _think it was?" the warrior pressed, nodding in the direction the sound came from.

"Um…prey?" Redpaw said hesitantly, ears back. "Maybe?"

Bumblestripe just stared at him. "Listen harder."

Redpaw turned to face the sound, leaning forward with his ears pricked. He squinted into the darkness, keeping his eyes moving as Berrynose had taught him to pick up any possible flicker of movement.

His breath was knocked out of him as a cat slammed into his back, sending him sprawling face-first in the frosty dirt.

"That was ShadowClan," Blossomfall informed him, coming over to nudge him to his paws.

Redpaw spat out a mouthful of dead leaves. "Thanks for telling me," he grumbled.

"You were trying to use your sight," Bumblestripe noted, coming forward from where he had simply stepped aside when his sister pounced. "Your ears were flat against your head and your pelt was bristling. You were afraid."

Redpaw looked away, resentful of this so-called training. "I was not!" he argued.

"You were," Blossomfall countered. "It made it easier to scare you. You cannot be afraid, Redpaw, and especially not on your own territory. You have to master the fear."

Bumblestripe whisked his tail down Redpaw's side. "I know this is difficult," he said, voice sympathetic. "But you need to know this. This technique will give you an edge over your enemies—and even your Clanmates."

"Berrynose picked this night for the lack of light," Blossomfall mused, looking up. "But it's still bright enough to give a little light from the brightest stars. I was thinking that we should get rid of his sight."

"What do you mean?" Redpaw asked uneasily, backing up from the two approaching cats, a look of wicked amusement on Bumblestripe's face.

* * *

"This is stupid!" Redpaw protested, icy mud sticking uncomfortably to the thick ginger fur of his face.

"Calm down," Bumblestripe told him, applying another pawful of the gooey substance to Redpaw's face. "You want to learn this, don't you?"

Redpaw gritted his teeth as the mud oozed over his closed eyes, seeping into his fur.

"That should do it," he heard Blossomfall say, her soft voice satisfied.

"Okay, go again," Bumblestripe told her, and Redpaw heard her light pawsteps disappear quickly. "Now, Redpaw, hold onto my tail. We're going to go to a new area. Don't take off that mud, you hear me?"

"I know," Redpaw hissed, even less happy with this experiment than before. His teeth were chattering from the cold mud, dredged up from a place in the nearest stream that Blossomfall and Bumblestripe broke the icy crust on with two strong blows of their paws.

Even as he took Bumbletripe's tail between his teeth, Redpaw was listening for Blossomfall. Now with his eyes covered in a thick layer of mud, it seemed like his hearing had improved. _Is this how Longtail feels?_ he wondered distantly. _Walking around without knowing what his surroundings look like?_

"Listen closely, Redpaw," Bumblestripe urged, yanking his tail loose and stepping away, bushes rattling as he padded through them.

Redpaw braced himself, spreading his paws wide to keep himself braced. His flicked his ears around, taking in every swish of the leaves, every snuffle of some wandering prey, every soft _thwump_ of falling snow that he could hear. Crickets chirped evenly, but underneath that, he thought he could hear something, a soft pattering that didn't belong with the rest…

Redpaw ducked as a cat sailed over him.

"Excellent!" Bumblestripe rushed back and nudged Redpaw so heartily that he knocked the smaller cat down. "I can't believe it!"

Blossomfall's softer voice joined in: "You did well, Redpaw."

"But what pawsteps were those?" Bumblestripe pressed.

"Um…WindClan."

"Wrong!" Bumblestripe announced, sounding disappointed. "RiverClan. Heavy pawsteps, remember? Heavy pawsteps!"

Redpaw bent his head and scraped at his faceful of mud, clawing a pawful of the clinging stuff away from his delicate whiskers and blinking open his eyes, the happy faces of the two littermates coming into view.

"It'll take some time," Blossomfall reassured him. "But you're doing very well to dodge that last move."

"We'll just have to do this more often," Bumblestripe put in teasingly, flicking mud off of Redpaw's muzzle with the tip of his tail. "Berrynose _did _say to make sure you knew what you were doing."

Redpaw groaned, but held still as Blossomfall came to help clean off his whiskers with smooth strokes of her tongue.

"It'll get easier," she told him between licks. "It's going to take some practice, but if you're willing—"

"I am," Redpaw interrupted immediately. "I want to learn."

Bumblestripe purred loudly. "Great! You want to go again? We have a little more time before Lionstar starts to get worried."

"Yes," Redpaw said, wanting to prove himself once again. Then he faltered. "I don't…have to do the mud again, do I?" he asked tentatively.

Bumblestripe and Blossomfall laughed. "No, no," the gray warrior chuckled. "Now you know what it's like. Just imagine that, okay?" He nodded to Blossomfall, and the two of them headed towards the tree line. "Head in any direction, okay? We'll catch up."

Redpaw shivered at the ominous words, then nodded, turning to trot into the undergrowth.

_Maybe this isn't as bad as I thought, _he amended, tail swishing. _I can do this! This isn't that hard!_

The sounds of the night were soft now, every animal curled up in its nest while crickets chirped and owls hooted. The wind rustled through the leaves, making a soothing effect on Redpaw's nerves.

"Pay attention," he whispered to himself, fixing his gaze on his paws to avoid using his eyes to try and track the two warriors. "Use your ears."

A mouse snuffled to his side; he turned towards the sound without thinking.

"Gah!" he cried, recoiling as Bumblestripe landed a mouse-length from his face.

"Pay attention, Redpaw," the pale gray warrior snapped, wheeling away.

"Wait!" Redpaw called, but Bumblestripe was already gone and away. Gritting his teeth, Redpaw began to pace into the forest, his steps quick and agitated. _Stupid, _he raged. _This is stupid. I don't care if I ever thought it was exciting, this is just plain stupid!_

"Mind on the task!" Blossomfall's voice floated out of the forest, and Redpaw launched himself towards it, wanting to scare them for once.

Bumblestripe intercepted him, landing a solid blow on Redpaw's neck, sending the smaller apprentice sprawling to the ground. "Don't get distracted!" he ordered.

Redpaw bared his teeth, getting his paws underneath him and shaking the dust out of his pelt. "Sorry," he gritted out, but Bumblestripe was already gone again. "This is mousedung," he hissed, beginning to pad off again.

He whirled when he heard rushing pawsteps, his claws out and ready to rip fur this time, but there was no one there. Confused, Redpaw lowered his paws, hearing the sound again from behind him. He ducked swiftly, gripping the moss underpaw and using it to help him spin around, reaching up to claw a few long gray hairs from Bumblestripe's tail.

Blossomfall's quick steps alerted him to somewhere to his side, and he flipped sideways, allowing her to fly through the air past him, rearing onto his hind legs when Bumblestripe zoomed into view, twisting around to sweep his paw underneath the larger cat's legs.

Bumblestripe didn't fall, but stumbled, quickly regaining his footing and turning to face Redpaw, eyes shining. "That's much better. That's enough for one day, don't you think, Blossomfall?"

The tortoiseshell-spotted she-cat padded out of the undergrowth. "Well done," she praised Redpaw. "You did excellently."

Redpaw endured another rough nudge from Bumblestripe. "Are we done now? Can I go sleep?"

Blossomfall laughed. "Alright. Let's head back now."

Redpaw followed after them slowly, paws and back aching, but filled with a warm cloud of happiness that he was on his way to being a better warrior.

* * *

**Cheesetastic ending, I know. But I wanna go sleepies, dangit! All this staying up of late is making me sleepeh. *-***

**On the plus side, this fic is moving along nicely, I think. Gonna add in some plot-type stuff next chapter. :D**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	18. Chapter 17

**This chapter is really, really short, so...sorry. ^.^' But it's got quite an ending, if that makes it any better. ;)**

**GinnyStar - Seriously, now. How are you _always _the first one to review? -high fives- That takes skills. :P**

**xxSnowfirexx - I like Redpaw, too, though my favorite is still Windpaw. I'm warring between two different warrior names for him--one that's really epic-sounding and the other really thought-provoking. I haven't decided which to go with yet. :P Also, also! I watched one Celtic Woman's concerts on TV and just _had _to tell you about it. It was sooooooooo amazing~ New CD coming out in January! XDXD -can't wait- **

**Lightkit - I know, right? I gots one planned out for him, though. And one that you didn't list. :D:D Heehee! Well, my exams got done yesterday, so I'm free now alllllllll Christmas break! Free, free, free at last! XD**

**icethroat21 - Thanks! Rainpaw was going to be Rainspots, but that doesn't sound quite...shadowy enough. XD And he does have quite the shady backstory. :P**

**WildCroconaw - Thankies~ And no, she doesn't. I just wanted a character to be all, "Nah, I don't wanna do it," as opposed to, "Yeah! Let's go now! ThunderClan pride and stuffs! Woot!" y'know? :P **

**Amazingly Awesome Person - :O You're watching Code Geass?! :O:O:O Do you love it yet? Sometimes, I think that it would be okay to get brained by a meteorite just so I could lose my memory and watch Code Geass again. I love it soooooo much. You should check out Wolf's Rain, too. 'Tis awesome beyond belief. **

**xXLeopardusXx - Oh, man. Taylor Lautner~~~ I swear, the shirtless scenes were the best. -sighs blissfully- They'll get their warrior names in this fic, though, 'cause I ain't doing another Warriors fic after this. I need to do some writing where the characters have fingers and can hold things and I can make references and use words like "upperhand" and "off-handedly." I tried to fit in the latter in one of my chapters, but I think someone called me on it. ^.^'**

**Fwirl - It's not which ones will happen: it's more like which ones I allow to live. }:D**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Amberpaw trotted through the forest, the quarter moon shining down upon her back. She should have been tired at such a late time—most likely sleeping—if she hadn't been filled to the brim with a hushed excitement.

She was going to see Windpaw.

Even as her paws still carried her forward, Amberpaw's insides felt twisted like adders. She knew that this wasn't allowed by the code, but if she wasn't doing anything—the very thought made her pelt flushed with embarrassment—then it wasn't a problem. Right?

_Right, _she told herself, slowing down as she the scents of ShadowClan—once off-putting, now familiar and comforting—wafted over her. She could see the glittering edge of the lake through gaps in the leafless bushes.

Windpaw hadn't arrived yet, so she settled herself in front of the tiny pocket of space between prickly holly bushes that they usually met by. Even after a moon's worth of meetings, her heart still beat quickly as she looked around to make sure no late-wandering warrior stumbled upon her.

"Windpaw!" she cried in greeting, getting to her paws as the white tabby apprentice stalked into view, his pawsteps indecipherable from the soft sound of falling snow.

His pale eyes gleamed as he spotted her. "Hey, Amberpaw," he purred, touching his nose to hers delicately. "You haven't been waiting long, I hope?"

She shook her head. "I just got here."

He nodded as well, flicking his ears towards the lake. "Let's go see if we can see the stars this time."

"Okay!" Amberpaw followed just behind him, her eyes on his snow-colored pelt. It was almost unfair that he was in another Clan, she thought as she squeezed out between the dead stems of curling bracken. Windpaw seemed nothing like the rest of his Clan.

"Wow!" he breathed, looking down into the lake. "It's beautiful!"

Amberpaw tore her gaze from his fur to look out on the water, her breath catching. The stars that twinkled frostily in the sky were reflected over the silent stillness of the lake, almost as if two separate skies pressed the thin lakebed between them. Leaning over, she stared down into the water at her own perfect reflection, seeing her amber eyes shining as bright as the moon above. "It _is_ beautiful," she whispered, watching her own jaws move to the words.

Windpaw padded over to look down into the water, too, his pricked ears outlined in a silver silhouette. "Finally," he laughed. "After nearly a moon, it's finally the perfect time to see them. I told you it was something to see."

"You're right." She glanced up at him quickly, amused. "That's a first."

"Hey now," he complained lightly. "I told you: I'm always right."

Amberpaw laughed, marveling at the change in him. The once quick-to-snap apprentice was now bright and cheerful, willing to share his thoughts and hopes with her, and she with him. It was perfect, she mused, returning her gaze back to the water as a gust of wind ruffled the surface, disturbing the clear picture for a heartbeat.

"Look at this." Windpaw leaned forward and touched his nose to the water, creating ripples that flowed outward. He blinked at her. "Try it!"

She leaned forward and hesitated above the surface of the water. "I bet it's freezing," she grumbled halfheartedly.

"If it was freezing, it would be frozen, bumblepaws."

She shot him a look before lowering her nose even closer, wincing as the cold gripped the tender skin of her nose. Recoiling, she pawed at her nose, eyes closed tightly. "It _is _freezing!"

"But look!" He nudged her towards the water, where the ripples were spreading over the surface, making the stars waver. "See? Wasn't that worth it?"

"No," she argued, but nothing could get Windpaw down.

He leaned back, ears relaxed along the line of his head. "This is fun," he said suddenly, sounding surprised. "I really enjoy coming here."

"Me too," Amberpaw mewed, setting her paw back down. "How is your mother?"

Windpaw scoffed at once, turning his head away. "Huntsong will be Huntsong," he spat. "There's nothing I can do for her."

"Don't," Amberpaw said softly, disliking the anger on his face. "Don't be like that."

"She truly thinks that cat hangs the moon," he went on, eyes hard. "I don't understand it."

"Smokefoot?"

Windpaw nodded, his tail flicking agitatedly. "She doesn't listen to me when I tell her he's rubbish. She adores him."

"Well, there's nothing you can do if she loves him," Amberpaw pointed out. "Especially when they have kits together. I know you love _them_, Windpaw." There was some expression that he wore when he spoke of his half-siblings that made Amberpaw happy to see.

Sure enough, he twisted his lips. "Maybe. Nightkit and Hazelkit just look _so _much like him. I can't stand to look at them sometimes. I look at them thinking to see my little brother and sister and only see _him._" His claws curled into the pebbles, sending a few cascading down into the lake and disrupting the beautiful scene.

Amberpaw just watched him, seeing the hatred on his face. "And…and your father?"

Windpaw just shook his head. "As if he has any spine to stand up to Smokefoot. You saw him that day—Blackstripe would rather roll over and show Smokefoot his throat than to do anything about it."

Amberpaw sighed, wanting to push her nose into his fur and tell him everything was going to be alright, but knew that she couldn't do that.

"What about you?" Windpaw turned to look back at her, the rage gone from his eyes. "Rainshadow still trying to boss you around?"

She laughed. "Pretty much. Oakdapple comes in to keep him in line sometimes, but he still thinks that he's entitled to give everyone orders. But he does it in such a quiet way that no one really says anything. I think Lionstar favors him because he was his apprentice."

As usual, Windpaw flinched slightly at the sound of her father's name, but before she could ask him about it, he said, "I wish that cats would know their places."

Amberpaw just shrugged, looking back to the water. "I guess." She shivered as the wind picked up, blowing snow onto her face. Tipping her muzzle back, she watched the tiny white flakes drift slowly to the ground, whirling on eddies of wind.

"You cold?" Windpaw got up and scooted over, pressing his warm pelt against hers. "You don't want to leave yet, do you?" He sounded worried.

Amberpaw's breath caught when his fur touched hers, but she leaned into the contact, her heart hammering in her chest strangely. "No!" she said at once. "No, I want to stay right here."

They were silent for a while, just listening to the soft sounds of the night.

"My warrior ceremony is tomorrow night," Windpaw said in a rush, as if he was trying to get the words out as quickly as he could.

Blinking rapidly, Amberpaw twisted her head up to look at him; he didn't meet her gaze. "So soon?" she asked, her voice low.

"Yeah."

She tilted her head, not understanding why he sounded so upset. "What, are you worried about getting old?" she joked lightly.

He smirked. "Not at all, but…"

"But what?" she pressed.

He looked down at her, blue eyes torn. "Amberpaw, when I become a warrior, this is going to be even more forbidden."

She frowned. "How so?"

"Because," he said in exasperation, looking out across the silent water. "As a ShadowClan warrior, I'll have to follow the code. It's going to be my only chance to become deputy. I _have_ to make sure that I become deputy." His voice was uneven.

Her heart froze. "You…you don't want to meet anymore?"

"No!" He turned to face her, pulling away from the contact to meet her gaze evenly. "No, that's not it at all. It's just…I don't know." He cast his gaze towards the ground.

She pushed her nose into his cold white fur. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, it's nothing." He glanced down at her, amused. "What about you? When's your warrior ceremony?"

She pulled a face. "Not for a long time, I bet. Lionstar just now made Rainshadow and Oakdapple warriors, and they've been apprentices since almost before I was born. Redpaw's being hopeful that we'll be warriors by the end of leaf-bare, but I'm not too sure about that."

"I think you'll make a great warrior," Windpaw put in. "But not as great as me."

"Uh-huh. _Sure_." She laughed when she imagined what Hollypaw would have looked like if she had heard Windpaw's words.

"What's so funny?" he asked, ears flat. "You think a ThunderClan cat could be as good a warrior as a ShadowClan cat?"

Too used to his Clan pride to have her fur rubbed the wrong way about it, she shook her head. "Just thinking about my sister."

"Hollypaw? Why? Did she say something about me?" His fur bristled.

Amberpaw laughed. "Calm down, Windpaw. She didn't challenge you to a duel or anything. I was just thinking about our Clans."

"Oh." He tossed his head to the side. "Well, it's not like I care anyway. But if she did try and fight me, I would win."

"Mm." As if Hollypaw would _allow _herself to be beaten, even by Windpaw. "What do you want your warrior name to be?"

"Whatever Rowanstar decides it to be." His words were vaguely rehearsed-sounding, like a reflex.

She tilted her head. "You don't have any choice?"

"Why would I have a choice? The leader's word is law—there's no point to dream about something that won't happen."

His words hit her like a blow to the belly. "You don't believe in dreams?"

Windpaw looked down at her, his expression almost sardonic. "Night pictures, that's all."

"But what if they're really vivid?" she pressed. "Almost as if you were awake?"

"Night pictures," he repeated firmly. "Dreams are just dreams. It's not like they have any effect on the realworld. Prey, trees, hunting, scent—that's the _real _world. What you can directly change is what's real."

"And if you can't change it?" she asked in a whisper, realizing in that instant how much she cared what his answer was.

He scoffed lightly. "You can _always _change it."

"But what if you can't?" she insisted. "What if it's like a boulder in your way? What if it's blocking the path and it's too heavy to move?"

"Then you work until you're strong enough to move it." His words were confident, his chest puffed out proudly.

Amberpaw felt a pang of sadness as she watched him. So certain in his own strength. So proud and brave and secure in the power of his own muscles.

So unlike herself.

Windpaw blinked, looking back from where he was staring out over the silent water. "Something the matter?"

She just shook her head. "I should be heading home now."

He started. "Already? But it's only just past moonhigh," he complained.

"I don't want Redpaw waking up and not seeing me there," she told him, already getting to her paws.

"He'd be fine," Windpaw protested, getting to his paws to stand in front of her. "Please don't go yet."

"I have to," she argued, shaking her head. "Leafpool's already mad at me, I think."

"What could you have possibly done?" Windpaw flattened his ears. "As if you could be a nuisance to the Clan."

Not sure how to take that, Amberpaw sighed. "I'll tell you next time. Three nights from now like usual?"

"Please don't go yet," Windpaw repeated, his voice softer, ignoring her words.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say, as much as she wanted to stay. "You need to be rested up if you're going to have a vigil tomorrow night, don't you think?"

He stared at her for a heartbeat longer before looking away, glowering. "Three nights?" he echoed, sounding disappointed. "Can't we meet tomorrow? I want you to be the first to know my new name."

"Won't your Clan be the first ones?" she teased, but her heart pounded unevenly at his words.

"The first one that I care about," he stated matter-of-factly. "I don't give a mousetail for the cats in my Clan."

"Don't say that!" she protested. "What about Nightkit and Hazelkit?"

"They're too little to know anything more than I'm the cat that comes to play with them and that Huntsong is their mother. And it's not like Huntsong would care, and Blackstripe would only think…well, I don't know what Blackstripe would think," he amended, wincing.

She sighed heavily, not knowing what to say. "I better get going."

"Alright." So swiftly she didn't have time to react, Windpaw reached out and nuzzled her across the cheek, breathing in her scent and ruffling her fur with his warm breath before pulling back and looking satisfied. "See you tomorrow?" He didn't give her a chance to reply before he turned around and bounded back into his own territory, his white pelt vanishing into the cold night.

Her mouth agape, Amberpaw just stood there, staring at the spot where Windpaw had disappeared to. _Did…did he just…? _

A sudden hoot of an owl nearly made her leap out of her fur.

Laughing shakily to herself, Amberpaw padded away from the lakeshore—not without one look back at the shimmering surface—and got back onto the trail, her paws following the well-worn path while her mind wheeled over and over again back to the moment when Windpaw's muzzle had brushed past hers so softly…

The night was thick with fog suddenly, the white mist overspilling the lake and tumbling down across the low path, obscuring her vision. Squinting into the darkness, she quickened her pace, wanting to get back in her warm nest and grab a few moments of sleep before the sun rose and she had to pretend that she wasn't doing anything that a normal—loyal, she amended herself, wincing—cat wouldn't do.

She stumbled over something, losing her balance.

Cursing softly to herself, she turned around to move whatever it was out of the path so no other cat would trip over it. She felt in the darkness with her paws until they brushed against something cold and stiff. "A stick," she muttered to herself, wrapping her paw underneath it.

The still-sensitive pad of her healing paw brushed against fur.

Her chest filled with ice and her breathing stopped as she yanked her paw away. Her heart hammering, she slowly moved her paw back to the place and ran her paw over what she had tripped over—a leg, a tail—and then up to a flank, moving all the way up to the face, a face whose lips were wrinkled back, exposing sharp, ice-cold fangs.

As the clouds drifted away from the face of the quarter moon, Amberpaw felt a surge of chilling horror as she recognized Hazeltail, the gray she-cat's face contorted into a final death mask of terror.

* * *

**So...yeah. Hazeltail's dead now. Isn't that great? **

**-cricket cricket-**

**Well, no one liked her anyway. XD I personally think the "final death mask of terror" bit is pretty epic. A lot better than my usually cliche endings, y'know? **

**Haaaaa, well, I'mma go play me some Viva Pinata 2 now. I just got a Limeocerous! -is gleefully excited-**

**And speaking of Glee, is it not the most epically epic show imaginable? I'm on episode 3 and I already adore it. I'm a Gleek! XD**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	19. Chapter 18

**Here's an extra-long chapter to make up for my lack of words in the last one! :D**

**GinnyStar - Ooh, I see. As for your question, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? :D**

**xxSnowfirexx - Ah, true, but they've branched out to all this new music, y'know? I LOVED their rendition of "When You Believe." It was so beautiful! :'D **

**Lightkit - I was on winter break on Monday. :D:D Ech, I feel sorry for you with that PE teacher. I never really had evil PE teachers, since I only had to take PE in elementary school. Marching band is good for some things! XD To my knowledge, there's some ShadowxThunder in OotS, but I'm not really sure since I haven't read the book yet. **

**Skyst - I thought you'd like the angst. We're angst buddies! XD**

**icethroat21 - I know, right? I really like the ending -strike now that they've done it for Sunstrike (who is apparently a female now) in Oots, but Rainstrike doesn't really sound...good to me. It looks good, but it just doesn't fit with Rainshadow's character. And thanks for preservering! You go get some sleep now! :D**

* * *

Hollypaw lay on her back, her paws curled into her soft gray belly fur as she frowned in her sleep, her tail twitching behind her.

In the forest it was new-leaf, the ground coated in a fine layer of fresh green leaves that rustled as Hollypaw pounced through them, digging her claws into the ground and raising the clean scent of new growth. Burrowing her muzzle up to her eyes in leaves, she inhaled deeply and blissfully, her tail curling up behind her with pleasure.

_New-leaf!_ She rolled onto her back, wriggling in the leaves happily, her eyes closed peacefully. The scent of flowers was in the air—light and sweet as fresh honey—and the warm sun shone warmly down on her fur.

Something bothered her, despite the peaceful surroundings, pricking at her pelt like an ant bite. What _was _it? Opening her eyes, she looked around at the forest, each tree trunk gilded in a golden halo of light, and wondered what was wrong.

_Redpaw and Amberpaw,_ she realized. _They aren't here, too._

Mournfully, she got to her paws and shook the leaves from her thick pelt, glancing around for a familiar path. The closer she looked, the more the forest seemed to change around her in small, subtle movements like the passage of clouds in the sky.

Something hissed behind her, soft yet alarming. She whipped around, her eyes wide. Fear was clutching at her chest now, icy and sharp, and she resented it. _Calm down,_ she ordered herself, forcing her fur to lay flat. _You're overreacting._

She padded over to the edge of the trees, peering around the trunks and into the forest. Birdsong came from the depths of the forest, but she couldn't see any trace of a bird itself. Likewise, when she breathed in the scent of the air, she couldn't detect any trace of prey, even though she saw with her own eyes a mouse that scuttled along the sprawling roots of a tree.

"What is this?" she muttered to herself, shaking her head. Setting her jaw, she trotted over the roots and away from the clearing she had been enjoying so much, forcing past the clinging tendrils of ivy that hung heavily from the low-lying branches.

"Ow!" she yelped, more in surprise than pain, twisting her head away as a stray branch caught her across the face. Clawing blindly out, she connected solidly with the branch, tearing it away from the rest of the tree and trampling it underpaw.

Blinking open her eyes, she was alarmed to feel a rivulet of blood running down the side of her cheek. Raising a paw to her face, she pulled it back stained red. Licking her other paw, she proceeded to sit down and wash the sticky blood from her face, drawing her tongue back across the bloody fur, pausing when she realized that something again was off.

Licking again, she grimly affirmed her thoughts: she couldn't taste the blood.

"What _is_ this?" she repeated, angrily this time instead of confused. "I can't scent and I can't taste…I can't even feel pain!"

The hissing sound came again, this time sharper.

Twisting around, a growl rose to her throat when she saw leaves lift gently, as if from a passing breeze. "I know you're there!" she called, puffing out her chest to make herself look bigger. "Come out!"

A sibilant whisper came from a thicket of bushes.

"What?" she demanded, walking over to the brambles and peering inside to see a gleaming pair of cat eyes staring back at her. "What was that?"

The cat's eyes narrowed in the gloom, claws gleaming as they unsheathed. "Your sister," the cat hissed softly, sending a true thrill of fear through Hollypaw.

She jolted upright at the same time a scream echoed through ThunderClan's territory. "Amberpaw!" she yowled, leaping up and over Redpaw's sleeping body and into the clearing. "Help! Help! It's Amberpaw!"

Rainshadow, who was on guard, raced over to her, his blue eyes wide and alarmed. "What are you going on about, Hollypaw? What's—"

"Get out of my way," she snarled, shoving past him. "Amberpaw's in trouble!" She tore her way through the gorse tunnel, running blindly out into the dark forest. "Amberpaw!"

She vaguely heard Rainshadow calling for her to wait up as she careened dangerously fast through the forest, tripping over her own paws more than once.

A yowl came to her immediate side and she ran towards it, leaping over a fallen log and bursting onto an old prey-path.

Amberpaw stood in the center of the trail, her amber eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at something at her paws.

"Amberpaw!" Hollypaw dashed over to her sister, pressing her muzzle into her cream-colored shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Amberpaw's mouth opened, but nothing came out but a hoarse mew.

Casting her glance carelessly over her shoulder, Hollypaw did a double-take at what was there: Hazeltail's curled tail lay limply against her flank, her paws drawn up against her chest with the claws unsheathed, her mouth half-open to display a hateful glare of menace. A thick, open gash bisected the white fur of her throat. She could tell without even going to check that the she-cat was dead.

"What…" But she trailed off. What words could she possibly say to begin to ask what had happened?

"Hollypaw, come back—" Rainshadow cut off abruptly as he came into view, his ears flattening back against his head and his teeth bared. "What happened here?" he hissed, his gaze wheeling from Hollypaw to Amberpaw, and then back to where Hazeltail lay on the ground. "Amberpaw, _what happened here?"_

The dark cream she-cat looked blankly at Rainshadow. "She's…she's dead," she whimpered out, still not blinking.

Hollypaw pressed against her sister's side, hating the fear and helplessness that rose in her like a tide. "Amberpaw, when…when did you find her?"

"Just now," Amberpaw whispered. "I just came across her. We need to tell Lionstar. We need to tell him—"

"He's already coming," Rainshadow said softly, padding over to Hazeltail. He lifted his paw and gently trailed it down her flank. "She's been gone for a long time," he murmured. "She's as cold as ice."

Hollypaw swallowed hard. "Her throat's slashed," she pointed out.

"A warrior's blow," he said sadly. His paw moved as if to touch there, then stopped, dropping back down to the ground. "Amberpaw, was she like this when you found her?"

Fury rose in Hollypaw, burning through the shock. "What are you trying to say?" she hissed, going nose-to-nose with him. "Are you trying to say Amberpaw had something to do with this? Because if you are, you're crazy!"

"I'm not saying anything." Rainshadow's eyes were calm. "It's going to look suspicious that she's here, that's all. What were you doing out this late?"

Hollypaw whirled to face her sister. "You don't have to answer that," she said harshly. "You've done nothing wrong. You don't have anything to hide."

"She's going to have to explain soon enough," Rainshadow growled. "Lionstar's here."

As if on cue, the golden ThunderClan leader burst into the clearing, Graystripe at his side and Whitewing, Berrynose, and Redpaw behind him. Lionstar's amber eyes raked the clearing, widening when he saw Hazeltail. "StarClan," he breathed. "What happened here?"

Berrynose, upon seeing his sister, threw himself to the ground beside her, the expression in his eyes painful to look at. "Hazeltail!" he cried, pressing his paws against her shoulder. "Hazeltail, open your eyes! Wake up!"

Whitewing laid her tail gently over his shoulders. "She's gone, Berrynose," she said softly, attempting to pull him away. "She's gone."

"She is _not _gone!" Berrynose's blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Hazeltail, wake up!"

Lionstar made no motion to stop the cream warrior as he pushed his nose into Hazeltail's still fur. "A warrior killed her," he reported, nodding to the gray-and-white she-cat's throat. "Nothing but claws makes that kind of wound."

Graystripe nosed Hazeltail's extended claws, now limp from death. "She died fighting," he said sadly, but there was a ring of pride in his voice. "Fighting whoever tried to kill her."

"Whoever _did _kill her," Berrynose corrected, his eyes moving to Amberpaw.

Hollypaw bit back a hiss of ferocious disbelief. _Rainshadow was right! They think Amberpaw did it!_

"Any trace of fur?" Lionstar asked gently, padding up to nudge Berrynose, who was lying as still as his sister.

Redpaw skirted the scene, his fur on edge. "Who could have done this?" he hissed. "We're right in the middle of our territory!"

"Graystripe, take Whitewing and scout around." Lionstar nodded to his deputy. "See if you can find any trace of scent, fur, whatever and report back immediately. Redpaw, run back to camp and wake Cloudtail. Tell him to make two patrols of three cats each to take either border."

Lionstar padded over to Berrynose. "You want to help me?" he asked softly, taking up Hazeltail's scruff.

It took the warrior a long time to respond, as if he was surfacing from deep water. He slowly nodded, grabbing the she-cat's shoulder fur and lifting her easily. Together, the two cats began to pad back, leaving Hollypaw and Amberpaw to follow.

* * *

Out of all the reactions to a fallen Clanmate, Daisy's was the most heart-wrenching. The cream-colored queen threw herself upon her daughter, chest heaving as she cried for Hazeltail to come back. Mousewhisker and Rosefall just stared mutely at their sister, their fur spiked with horror and disbelief. Daisy nuzzled her daughter's cold fur, then opened her mouth and let out a wail of loss.

Hollypaw resisted the urge to cover her ears with her paws and block out the awful noise.

Sandstorm stared down sadly at the young she-cat while Dustpelt pushed his nose briefly into Hazeltail's fur. "She was my apprentice," he said aloud to no one in particular. Sandstorm nuzzled his shoulder comfortingly.

Hollypaw sat back from a distance, watching the cats come to give Hazeltail their last respects. She herself had not been very close to the she-cat, but her loss was still enough to shake her. Not only was a ThunderClan warrior dead, but she was killed in the middle of her own territory, a thought that worried Hollypaw more than anything else.

_Who could have done it? _A cat from ThunderClan? _Impossible_, she thought dismissively. As if a ThunderClan warrior would kill one of their own.

WindClan? The scrawny warriors had shown more than a little interest in seizing a piece of ThunderClan territory—that was evident enough from Splashpaw's thinness and desperation. But would they have the guts to travel alone into the center of an enemy's territory?

And what about ShadowClan or RiverClan? Or maybe it was a passing rogue that had caught Hazeltail at a bad moment.

Regardless, she thought, standing up and padding over to where Amberpaw and Redpaw sat, deep in conversation—someone was going to pay for this.

"I'm telling you," Amberpaw was whispering harshly, "I didn't do anything! I found her like that!"

"I didn't say you did anything," Redpaw argued hotly, ears flat. "But you're sure acting guilty!"

Hollypaw bared her teeth at him. "Lay off, little mouse," she snapped. "Amberpaw's had enough for today, don't you think?"

Redpaw narrowed his eyes in return. "Don't tell me what to do," he spat. "She needs to be prepared for cats to doubt her!"

"No one's going to doubt me," Amberpaw shot back, her fur bristled. "I've done nothing wrong! You believe me, don't you?" she asked fervently, turning to Hollypaw. "You were the first one there!"

Off-put by her sister's desperation, Hollypaw twisted one ear back. "Of course I don't think you did it," she replied, sitting down and sending a sour look at her brother. "But is something else the matter?"

"What do you mean?" Amberpaw sounded startled.

"You're acting guilty!" Redpaw repeated. "What's wrong with you? Is this about—"

"It's about nothing," Amberpaw cut him off swiftly, not meeting his eyes. "Nothing. I'm just…a little shaken by all of this."

Hollypaw laid her head on her paws, sighing. "Someone's got a lot of nerve to do this."

"Nerve!" Redpaw scoffed, whiskers twitching scornfully. "I'd love to rip the fur of whoever did this! Thinking they can come onto our land and do this!"

"Mm." Hollypaw's eyes widened when she saw Leafpool and Lionstar talking in hushed tones, Jayfeather sitting beside them, his expression guarded. "Something's up," she said suddenly, nodding shortly to the trio of cats. "Look there."

Redpaw twisted his head to look, barely raking his blue eyes over them before looking away. "So?"

"So?" Hollypaw repeated. "Did you see them like that after old Mousefur died? I think I'd recall a meeting like that."

Amberpaw looked pained. "You don't think they think I did it, do you?" she whispered to Hollypaw.

"If they do, they're mousebrains," Hollypaw said bluntly, raising her head as Leafpool led the way over to them, her amber eyes calm yet sad.

"Hello," she mewed softly. "Can I talk to you three in my den, please?"

Redpaw shot her an "_I told you so"_ glance.

Hollypaw ignored him, getting to her paws. "Alright," she answered for her littermates, falling in step behind the medicine cat and her apprentice.

Jayfeather glanced at her carelessly, his eyes fixed on Amberpaw.

Hollypaw bit back an angry hiss. As if he had any right to doubt her, she snarled in her mind, lowering her head and narrowing her eyes as she walked past him frostily into the den, seating herself against the far wall. Amberpaw sat next to her, close enough for their fur to touch. Redpaw remained standing, his tail flicking irritably.

To Hollypaw's surprise, Rainshadow followed Lionstar in, not meeting her gaze when she looked at him. With a bolt of fury, she realized that he must have reported them.

Lionstar settled himself down in front of the three siblings, flanked by Leafpool on one side and a grouchy-looking Jayfeather on the other. Rainshadow sat obliquely in the background, his shadowy pelt blending in smoothly with the stone walls.

"You three were the first to find Hazeltail's body, correct?" Lionstar asked, his voice calm.

"I was," Amberpaw stated calmly, but Hollypaw could feel her quivering nervously.

"Describe the scene," he prompted gently. "How was Hazeltail lying? Was there any pawprints or loose fur lying around?"

"She was on the ground," Amberpaw began, taking a deep breath, "curled up with her tail across her body. Her claws were unsheathed and her teeth were bared. I didn't see any type of tracks or anything."

"What about blood?" Jayfeather's voice floated from the direction where the medicine cat apprentice sat sidelong, his ears relaxed and his eyes unfocused, as if he didn't care what the answer was.

Hollypaw felt a jolt. Now that she was thinking about it, she didn't remember seeing any blood, even though Hazeltail's throat had been slashed. Judging by how prey looked when killed that way, the ground should have had a puddle of blood around where the she-cat had been lying.

"There wasn't any," Redpaw mewed tersely, his brow furrowed.

_So you _are _worried, eh, little mouse? _Hollypaw snapped her gaze to Rainshadow, trying to put of her anger into her glare. The speckled tom just blinked uncomfortably and looked away, ears flat.

Leafpool shared a quick glance with Jayfeather before nodding. "And you didn't detect any scent? None at all?"

"None," Amberpaw answered.

"What were you doing out so late?" Lionstar demanded, seeming to not be able to control himself. "Brightheart said she didn't see you leave. Why did you sneak out?"

Hollypaw huffed. "She probably just went to go make dirt," she hissed. "Stop interrogating her!"

Lionstar frowned. "Keep out of this, Hollypaw."

"I'm involved," Hollypaw protested sharply. "I'll say what I want. Don't you think she's been through enough tonight? She found her Clanmate dead in the forest, for StarClan's sake!"

Leafpool winced. "We just needed to know a few things. You can go now. You, too, Lionstar," she added when the golden leader opened his mouth to protest. "We're done for right now."

"But, Leafpool," he started, but she cut him off with a wave of her tail.

"We're done," she repeated. "I have to make preparations. Please go and speak with the elders, Lionstar. Get everything set up."

Lionstar nodded stiffly, casting one last suspicious look at his kits before padding out of the den.

Hollypaw got to her paws, flicking her tail to Amberpaw. "Come on. You need to get some rest. You look dead on your paws."

"I'm fine," the she-cat protested, but she came either way, following Hollypaw out of the den past Redpaw.

Redpaw was still frowning. "That was stupid, Hollypaw. You made us look even more suspicious."

"This is stupid to begin with!" she shot back. "Why would anyone think that a ThunderClan cat would kill a Clanmate?"

"Maybe it's because of Hollystar," Amberpaw added softly.

Ears pricked, Hollypaw wheeled to face her sister. "What makes you say that? Do you know something about her?"

"No," Amberpaw said defensively. "But I'm just saying. Not all of the other Clans are like that."

"Oh, really?" Hollypaw twisted her ears back. "And how would you know about that? Windpaw tell you that when you were flirting on the border?"

Amberpaw's yellow eyes widened. "W-what?"

"That day with the Twoleg monster," Hollypaw said disparagingly. "Have you gotten over your little buddy so soon?"

"Oh. Don't be stupid!" Amberpaw flipped her tail absently. "You shouldn't say such stupid things. Cats will think you've got bees for brains."

"Uh-huh." Hollypaw narrowed her eyes, tilting her ears behind her to listen to the medicine cats' soft voices.

"You're not eavesdropping, are you?" Redpaw demanded, scowling.

"Why not? If they talk loud enough, any cat could listen."

Redpaw hissed. "It's like you don't give a foxdung about the warrior code, I swear."

"Mm. Big words for such a little kitty. You better learn to sleep with one eye open, mouse." Hollypaw laughed as he puffed up like an angry jay.

Amberpaw frowned. "That's not very nice, Hollypaw. Especially with the circumstances." She gestured to where Hazeltail's family curled around her body.

That stopped Hollypaw. "Yeah," she muttered.

"I'm going to go say goodbye." Amberpaw stood up, looking over with a sad expression. "Redpaw, do you want to come?"

"Sure. Hollypaw?" He half-turned to her, still angry.

"I'll be by in a bit. Go on without me." _I'd rather hear what Leafpool has to say,_ she added silently.

As her littermates moved out of view, Hollypaw darted into the brambles next to the medicine den, creeping along the side of the wall until she was right behind the main bramble screen, not worried about her pelt color giving her away: gray fur might not work in green-leaf, but it sure helped in leaf-bare, she joked to herself.

"…don't need to know," Jayfeather was saying, his tone flat.

"That's stupid, Jayfeather." Leafpool's voice was sharp. "You know what this means."

_Know what _what _means? _Hollypaw pressed her ear close to the brambles, her long fur catching on some of the thorns. She bit back a hiss of pain.

"You don't know what it means," Jayfeather shot back. "That's my point. What's the point of telling the Clan about something that we don't know?"

"We should tell them our theories at least."

"It's not our place to tell. It's hers."

_Whose?_ Hollypaw wondered, wishing that she could just walk into the den so she could see their expressions.

Leafpool sighed irritably. "And you really think she'll tell? Honestly, she didn't even want to tell _us._"

"Why else would a cat be killed in this way?" Jayfeather pressed. "All of her blood was drained, Leafpool! How have you ever seen a cat killed that way?"

A chill shot down Hollypaw's spine. _Hazeltail's blood was drained?_ She shook her head. _What does that even mean? _

"There wasn't any blood at the scene," Jayfeather continued. "That means she was killed somewhere else and dropped there."

"Who do you think did it?"

"Not a ThunderClan cat, at least. Hopefully not. But there's always…" He trailed off frustratingly.

"No," Leafpool hissed. "She's not capable of that!"

"Even with the contact she's had? With Brokenstar or Scourge? Who knows who she talked to during that time? She could have spoken to Tigerstar himself! It's in her blood—her lineage!"

"It's in yours, too, Jayfeather!" she spat angrily.

"Not by blood," he hissed in return.

There was a painful silence. Hollypaw almost crept out to see if they had left before Leafpool spoke again: "We have to ask her."

"No," Jayfeather said firmly.

"It's the only way, Jayfeather," she argued. "We have to ask. What if they…took her over?"

"Like Blackflower?"

"Exactly."

Jayfeather sighed heavily. "We can't just go and ask her. It's got to be subtle. Maybe we can get Hollypaw or Redpaw to do it."

Hollypaw's ears pricked at her own name. _Who are they talking about?_

"Do you have bees in your brain? How would you like to deal with that? Your siblings being sent to ask you something like that?"

"I don't have that problem." His voice was blunt. "This discussion is over."

"We have to ask her, Jayfeather," Leafpool insisted. "She could be under their influence—"

"Then go and ask her right now, Leafpool!"

"I'm just saying," Leafpool protested, "if the cats of the dark forest are in contact with Amberpaw, we need to be there to protect her."

Hollypaw sat back, head tilted. _Dark forest?_ The name sounded vaguely familiar to her, though she couldn't recall any time that she had heard it.

"Especially if they've twisted her mind," Jayfeather put in. "She might not even _be_ Amberpaw anymore. It could be one of _them _in her skin. We won't be able to tell until it's too late."

Ice clutched at Hollypaw's chest as she realized what they were saying, and suddenly, she wished that she hadn't have decided to listen to them in the first place.

* * *

**See, Hollypaw? That's what you get for eavesdropping. D: **

**It shall cause much angst now. You're welcome. XD**

**And now I must sleep, for me, Fwirl, and one of our friends are going to have an awesome Wii/Anime/Manga/Ferret day tomorrow. :D:D -is excited-**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	20. Chapter 19

**So this is where it picks up. Promise~**

**Also, Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you had as good of one as I did! :D:D**

**violinlover71898 - Heeeey, new reviewer. Thanks for liking my story! -blushes- Make sure you read the other two first, though! Otherwise, you probably won't understand what's going on! Yeah, I didn't care forr Hazeltail either, but WindxAmber...-huggles-**

**xXSnowfireXx - Aaw, too lazy to sign in, Snowy-chan? XD Wooooooooooow, DoD. It's my turn to update, isn't it? -averts gaze- I'll get right on that! XD**

**Fwirl - I happen to adore the AN and add that ferrets are adorable and Squall is hot. Sorry you didn't update? What, what, kohai? XD Aaaaaw, Mollie's curled up on the chair next to me staring at me with those cute little eyes. XD I love mah puppeh!**

**icethroat21 - I LOVE angst. I try to add a whole bunch of it, but not so much this time. Yet. :D:D**

**Lightkit - YES! We didn't get around to Wii-ing, but we did play FF8 and look at Squall and all of his awesomeness. XD I don't usually care for FF games, but this one was pretty epic. :P**

**WildCroconaw - Heeheehee, it would appear so, yes? As for the rest...you'll hafta wait and seeeeeee~**

**GinnyStar - Thankies, thankies! :D:D**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - XD That explanation made me lol. Um, erm, no, but you are kinda close. There aren't any vampire kittehs in this story, though. :D:D**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Redpaw sighed as he sat in front of his mentor, ears tilted forward in an attempt to keep himself awake. "Yes," he answered, nodding his head.

Berrynose's tail flipped behind him, just the tip twitching to show his annoyance. "Redpaw," he started slowly. "I asked what would be the best way to catch a thrush."

Blinking, Redpaw stuttered, "I know that! I was saying, 'Yes, I can tell you how.'"

Eyes narrowed now, Berrynose sighed tightly. "Please pay attention. This is kind of important. You know, feeding the Clan?" When he just got a blank stare in return, he got to his paws, flicking his tail for Redpaw to do the same. "What's gotten into you?" he demanded, leading the way into the forest. "Maybe some _real _hunting will wake you up."

"Lionstar had me on that patrol from moonhigh to dawn," Redpaw complained, yawning. "My paws are about to drop off."

Lionstar had been running extra patrols since Hazeltail had been found dead on her own territory. Now, even three-quarters of a moon later, the image of the lifeless she-cat still haunted the Clan, and Lionstar wanted to do anything and everything in his power to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Oakdapple was on that patrol, too, and she's not being useless today," Berrynose said disparagingly.

_Yeah, well she gets to sleep in today,_ Redpaw added silently, ears flat along his head. "Sorry."

The ground felt frozen solid under his paws as they trotted towards the ShadowClan border, the weak sunlight filtering down through the bare branches of the trees above, barely warming Redpaw's cold pelt. His breath billowed in front of him, hanging for a heartbeat as a puff of fog before dissipating. He shivered, wishing—not for the first time—that he had the thick pelt his sisters got from Cinderheart: With such a thin pelt, the wind probed all the way down to his skin.

"Pay attention now." Berrynose halted and gestured with his nose to the bank of the stream that separated ThunderClan territory from ShadowClan's. Dark water churned down the protruding stones, creating current and eddies that swirled with flakes of new-fallen snow. "With the river unfrozen, water voles will be around. They like to nibble around the stems of grasses usually, but with this weather, they'll be closer to the water for littler prey."

"Okay." Redpaw couldn't think of anything he'd rather _not _do than go down and scrabble around in the cold mud for stupid voles. Steeling himself, he padded down to the bank of the stream and stood over a little ledge, looking down into the water. The previous night was caught up with him, making his head fuzzy. He yawned again, blinking slowly as he searched blandly for prey.

"Look harder," Berrynose called, his voice cautiously soft in case there was any trace of prey.

"Yeah, yeah," Redpaw grumbled, sighing heavily.

A sudden snuffling sound alerted Redpaw. He whirled around, seeing a flicker of motion by a choked clump of weeds.

The smell of water vole made his stomach growl painfully. Prey had been short in coming in the past few days as the deeper frost set in, coating the ground in a layer of thick snow. Every cat in the Clan was hungry now, sometimes going all day on just a mouthful of stringy mouse meat. Honeyfern wasn't getting enough to eat herself to feed her kits properly, and Faintkit and Harekit were starting to look like the merest wind would blow them over.

_Well, when I catch this, they can have some fresh meat,_ Redpaw thought as he leaned into a hunting crouch and crept forward, lifting each paw separately. He paced forward smoothly, the vole not even noticing him until he was nearly on top of it.

"Redpaw! Look out!" Berrynose yowl split the air behind him, nearly making him leap out of his fur. The vole slipped out from between Redpaw's extended claws and down a hole.

Redpaw wheeled around, his teeth bared to snap at his mentor.

A fox stood just behind him, its eyes bright as it stared at him, saliva dripping from its bared teeth. A growl rumbled from its chest.

Redpaw's mouth was dry, and he just stood there, seeing Berrynose up in a tree, gesturing furiously with his tail for Redpaw to leap up beside him.

With a ferocious bark, the fox lunged forward, its teeth clicking shut barely a kittenstep from Redpaw's ear. Fur fluffed out with terror, Redpaw yowled, sidestepping sideways as the fox crashed after him, its teeth gleaming in the half-light.

Remembering his training, Redpaw turned to face it, claws unsheathed. He lashed out and caught the fox across the muzzle, raking through its lip and sending a cascade of red drops of blood. Spitting, he leaped sideways as the fox snapped again, this time catching Redpaw's shoulder, biting deep into his shoulder.

Redpaw screeched in agony, writhing as the fox's teeth sank even farther into the muscle, causing blood to stream down his tabby pelt.

"Redpaw!" Berrynose landed on the ground with a huff, nearly losing his balance from his lack of a tail. He dodged underneath the fox's legs and raked his claws down its throat, fastening his teeth in the dingy white fur of its neck and dangling there like a mouse in a hawk's claws. "Let go of him!" he snarled through his mouthful of fur.

The fox shook off the cream-colored warrior easily, kicking out with a back paw and catching him in the chest, knocking the air out of him. Berrynose wheezed on the ground, curled into a ball of pain.

The fox simply turned and walked away up the stream, padding along at a pace that a cat would have a hard time keeping up with.

Redpaw's shoulder was screaming in agony where the fox's teeth pierced it. _I'm going to die, _he thought, closing his eyes tightly shut. _It's going to take me back to its nest and eat me like a mouse. I'm never going to be a warrior!_

"Let me go!" Redpaw hissed up at the fox, clawing at it with his uninjured front paw. His paw waved in the air uselessly, too short to reach.

The fox just ignored him, shaking its head slightly.

Twisting his head up, Redpaw saw that Berrynose had injured its ear, causing a deep split that glistened with dark blood. The fox shook its head again, sending a spatter of blood that landed on Redpaw's face.

Wincing, Redpaw returned his gaze to the ground. _I can use that to my advantage, _he thought, trying to make plans and not to think about the fact that he was a practically-untrained apprentice. _Not to mention that I'm…I'm…small, _he added, clenching his eyes shut. "Help!" he called out. "_Help_!"

The fox growled, shaking Redpaw fiercely.

"So you understand that, huh?" Redpaw grumbled, looking around. The fox had taken him up the stream on ThunderClan's side, leading him through woods he'd never been in before. Berrynose only took him through ThunderClan territory, not every bit of the forest behind it!

The sun was going down now, bleeding red-orange streaks against the tree trunks. Redpaw's shoulder had gone numb, but every time he turned to try to look at it, bile rose in his throat from the pain.

After padding through the forest for what felt like an eternity, the fox dropped him unceremoniously to the ground, stepping over him and into a hole that gaped in front of him.

Redpaw curled on the ground, gasping as the sudden drop reopened his wound. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his head over to look at the gash. It was made up of two deep punctures just at the top of his shoulder, a thick slash connecting them. It _had _been scabbed over, but now fresh blood overspilled the gash.

He looked away, taking a deep breath. "I have to get out of here," he muttered, trying to get his paws underneath him. With a hiss of pain, he worked his shoulder around until he had his injured paw beneath him, balancing on his other paws. His balance was shaky, but at least he was up.

A heavy weight knocked him back down, sending him skidding across the cold hard-packed dirt.

Redpaw, panting, turned around to see a fox cub leaning down to sniff him, its bright eyes curious. Another stood just behind it, peering over its littermate's shoulder to look down at Redpaw. The adult fox that had brought him here sat at the mouth of the den, thick fur fluffed up against the cold.

_Oh, StarClan,_ Redpaw thought blankly. _I'm a hunting lesson._

The fox cubs barked, poking at Redpaw with heavy paws. Spitting furiously, Redpaw lashed out at one, catching it across the face.

It yipped and fell back, crying and whining.

The fox—their mother, he realized—snarled and cuffed Redpaw hard across the head.

Seeing stars, Redpaw got back to his feet, staring down the other cub. This one was larger, cat-sized, with sharp white teeth and a mean look on its pointed face. It growled at him, lashing its bushy tail behind it.

"Come and get it!" Redpaw hissed.

The cub leapt forward and barreled Redpaw onto his belly, its blunt claws scrabbling for a hold on Redpaw's back. It sank its sharp teeth into his ear, worrying at the tender skin.

Redpaw screeched, raking his hind paws down the fox's side, but its fur was too thick for his claws to get through. He dug his hind paws into the cub's belly, heaving it off of him and sending it crashing into the bushes.

Yapping angrily, it came back, eyes murderous.

Redpaw flattened his ears, growling low in his throat. "I won't be killed by _you_!" he snarled.

The fox dipped its head as if it understood, a sly look in its beady eyes as it stalked slowly forward, dangerous grace even as a cub.

A dark gray blur flew in between the cub and Redpaw, wheeling to face the enemy and lashing at its eyes.

Redpaw blinked as the blur—now resolved into a tufty-furred gray tom—turned to face him. "Get up, idiot!" he spat, rushing over to nudge Redpaw to his feet. "We've gotta get out of here."

Redpaw staggered to his paws, nearly falling as his leg gave out. The cat sighed in exasperation, grabbing Redpaw by the scruff and lifting him bodily, dodging the mother fox narrowly as she lunged for him, snarling savagely.

Dangling in the grip of the unknown tom, Redpaw couldn't do anything. The exhaustion of fighting off the foxes combined with his injury left him limp as a kit.

Lucky for him, the tom was a fighter. Aiming one last blow at the mother's wounded ear, the tom dashed away, half-carrying, half-dragging Redpaw out of the path of the foxes and hauling him up a tree, leaping like a squirrel to the next tree over and nearly dropping Redpaw as he swung in his grip.

"Stupid kit," he spat through Redpaw's fur. "What the heck did you think you were doing, huh? You coulda gotten yourself killed!"

"I was a little busy fighting the fox," Redpaw panted, too tired to be testy.

The tom scoffed. "Doubt that. You were about to be killed, I saw ya."

"Where are you taking me?" Redpaw demanded. "I need to go home."

"Home, huh? And where'd that be?"

"ThunderClan."

"Hm. Never heard of it." He set Redpaw down to redouble his grip, then hoisted him back up and bent his legs, waggling his haunches before leaping powerfully out of the tree and into a cave cut deep into the side of the cliff face. "You can rest here."

Redpaw gasped as his hurt leg was jarred, falling into an awkward half-crouch as he looked around him. The cave itself was more like a tunnel, lined with a smooth even layer of pale gray stone that led into blackness. The sound of distantly-dripping water and the sound of the tom's pawsteps were the only sounds in the strange place. "What is this place?" he whispered, his voice echoing.

The tom shrugged. Now that Redpaw could see him more clearly, he noticed the unusualness of the tom. His fur was dark gray and spotted every so often with black specks, and blotchy cream-colored speckles flecked his face around his dark blue eyes. "A no-pelt thing," he stated simply, flicking his tail. "They make these pipes so that they can get their drinking water places, I think. This one's been out of joint for a few months now."

The words "no-pelt," "pipes," and "months" fluttered around Redpaw's battered brain. "Mm," was all he said in response.

"What's your name, bud? Mine's October."

_October? What kind of stupid name is that? _"Redpaw."

"Redpaw," October echoed. "That's a strange name. Where're you from?"

"I told you," Redpaw said grouchily. "ThunderClan. It's in the forest a ways from here." He gestured vaguely with his tail to the outside of the cave.

"Ah. Interesting." But Redpaw could tell that the loner didn't really think it was interesting. "Well, come this way and we'll get you some grub, alright?"

_Why can't this cat speak normally?_ Redpaw complained to himself, getting to his paws and standing there shakily.

"What, got a bite?" October circled back and sniffed at Redpaw's shoulder. "Don't worry: we'll get you all patched up."

"We?" Redpaw asked, leaning on October's offered shoulder.

"Me and my sister. She's the brains behind the operation, fortunately." October chattered on as they walked deeper into the cave—pipe, Redpaw corrected himself. "A sweet little cat. Nothin' like me, unfortunately for her—what with my good looks and charm."

_Good looks and charm? _Redpaw barely held back a laugh.

"From the same litter, though, y'know. Our parents aren't really…around anymore. Gave 'emselves up to be no-pelt's playthings, poor cats. Dad was never really alright in the head."

_I can see he gave that to you, _Redpaw thought.

"Hey!" October yowled suddenly, startling Redpaw nearly out of his fur. "Sophie! I've got a live one!"

Out of the gloom ahead, a ginger she-cat trotted forward, green eyes bright and curious. "October, what is that? A kit?"

"I'm an apprentice of ThunderClan," Redpaw corrected, remembering to be polite. "My name's Redpaw."

Sophie blinked. "Hello, Redpaw," she said at last, her gaze softening. "You're injured? Did you pick a scrap with those no-pelts?"

"Um, no. I got in a fight with foxes."

"Even worse." She shook her head. "We'll get you all healed up, don't worry. Did you get some supper, October?"

October scuffled his gray paws. "I was a little busy saving this little guy, Sophie."

Sophie pulled a face. "Well, go get some now, alright? I'll get him set up nice and good." She flicked her ears to her brother, gently pressing her nose against his for a heartbeat. "Go on now."

"Alright, alright." The gray loner heaved a sigh, then nodded wearily, turning back around to head out into the snow.

"Come on now, Redpaw. We'll get you a nice bed set up." She turned around to pad back, and Redpaw noticed with some alarm that she didn't have a tail—only a stub.

"Y-your tail!"

"Hm?" She turned around, looking confused. "Oh, I don't have one."

"Did it get bit off?" Redpaw remembered Berrynose's tail, but even he had a mouselength of tail to speak of.

"Nope. I just don't have one."

"How do you climb, though?"

"Very well, thanks." She turned her amused green gaze on him. "Anything else?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Redpaw cast his gaze down. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing…"

"Different cats?" she supplied. "Well, don't worry. We aren't no-pelt playthings. Although, my mate was one."

"You have a mate?" Redpaw looked around the tunnel. "Is he here somewhere?"

"No." Sophie's eyes were sad. "He lives with his no-pelts. He didn't want me."

Redpaw looked up at her awkwardly. "I'm…sorry," he said at last.

Sophie shrugged. "It's nothing," she said briskly. "He chose his comfy life over me, that's all. I just wish that—" She cut off abruptly, ears pricked.

Redpaw heard it, too—pawsteps. "Who…" But he trailed off when he saw Sophie pick up the pace and pad forward.

"Hello, dears," she greeted, raising her voice. "Have you been good?"

Two kits bundled into view, their twin white pelts and blue eyes nearly glowing in the darkness. "Mother, Mother!" one of them cried, snuggling up to her belly. "We've been practicing hunting!"

"Is that so?" Sophie pulled away delicately, turning to face Redpaw. "Darlings, this is Redpaw. He's a new friend."

The kits turned to look at him, their eyes wide.

"Wow," one breathed, looking excited. "Another cat!"

"Isn't Uncle back yet?" the other complained. "I miss him."

"He'll be back soon," her mother assured her. She looked up at Redpaw apologetically. "They never get to see other cats."

Redpaw felt a pang of sadness when he realized what Sophie had been saying earlier. Her mate wanted nothing to do with his own kits! "What are you names?" he asked gently.

"I'm Crescent!" the tom kit announced proudly, puffing out his chest. "And this is my sister, Winnie."

Winnie flipped her tail, blue eyes suspicious. "What kind of a name is Redpaw?" she demanded abruptly.

"What kind of a name is Winnie?" he countered.

The little white she-kit considered that for a moment, then brightened. "I like you," she declared. "Don't you, Crescent?"

"Ah, he's alright." Crescent tried to pass her off with a wave of his tail, but his eyes were shining. "Are you coming to live with us?"

"He's hurt," Sophie explained. "He needs peace and quiet, alright?" Her stare intensified as she looked at her kits. "Alright?" she repeated.

"Okay," Crescent agreed sadly, his tail drooping. "We can play tomorrow, right?"

"I need to go home later tonight," Redpaw mewed. "Sorry."

"That's not gonna be possible, bud." October reappeared, shaking flakes of snow off of his fur. "Blizzard's kicking up. We gotta dig in here and wait 'til morning." He dropped two mice on the ground. "Here you go, little ones."

The kits let out mews of happiness. "Thanks, Uncle!" Winnie mewed, rubbing against the gray tom's shoulder.

"Alright now." October nuzzled her forward. "Go fill your belly now. There's some for you too, Redpaw. I can count your ribs, bud."

"I'm fine," Redpaw protested. "Sophie, why don't you take it? You need it for your kits."

The ginger she-cat shook her head. "You need it, dear. Go on." She nudged him forward. "I'll get mine tomorrow."

Redpaw looked guiltily at her as his belly growled.

October just laughed. "Go on, bud. It's nice and plump."

Redpaw nodded, then turned and fell on the mouse, ripping a mouthful of warm juicy meat from the mouse. Licking his muzzle, he took another bite, then another, until there wasn't anything left but bones.

"Wow," Crescent mewed. "You really attacked that thing."

Redpaw sat up, embarrassed. "Things are a little rough right now in the forest," he explained, feeling his pelt heat.

"That must be hard," Sophie said sympathetically. "And for one so young…"

"I'm not that young," Redpaw protested lightly. "I'm ten moons old!"

"Moons?" Winnie echoed. "Like in the sky?"

"He means in time, scrap," October explained. "Like a month."

"Oh," she meowed, looking curious. "What's it like in the forest? Do you kill prey all the time?"

Redpaw twitched his whiskers. "Not _all _the time," he mewed. "I get battle training and listening training and spar with my Clanmates."

"Are there a lot of them?" Crescent asked. "Your Clanmates?"

"There's a sizable amount." Redpaw wasn't sure how much he could trust these cats. "Enough to protect ourselves."

"Wow! Can we come live with you?" Crescent wiggled excitedly.

"You belong here, scrap." October ruffled the little white kit's ears with one forepaw. "And speaking of, isn't it about time to bed down?"

"You're right." Sophie got to her paws and shook out her fur. "Come on, everyone. Let's get Redpaw a bed set up."

"Okay!" Winnie hurried out of view down the tunnel, her white pelt disappearing quickly.

Crescent turned to go, then wheeled around and mewed, "I'll make you a bed by me, okay, Redpaw?" Without waiting for an answer, he took off after his sister.

"They're good kits," Sophie said affectionately.

"They got it from you," October said gruffly, his fur fluffed up on his neck. "Not from that stupid, flea-bitten plaything stinking of his no-pelts. He can go and take a long trot off of a short roof if he wants to. I hope that he gets stomped by his own masters, stupid yellow-bellied mange-pelt." He looked a little impressed by his own insult.

"October," she chided gently. "Don't."

"I'll say what I want," he growled in response, shouldering past Redpaw and nearly knocking him down again. "Come on, bud."

Redpaw cast one sympathetic glance at Sophie before following after the gray tom down the tunnel. "How far does this thing go?" he muttered incredulously.

"We're here." October stepped aside as they trotted inside a small, circular stone den, two other pipes leading off to other directions. Small piles of soft-looking stuff were heaped here and there, and a few scraps of wood were lying about with deep claw marks gouged into them.

"Redpaw!" Winnie called. "Here's yours!" She stepped aside to show him a soft nest, her brother bouncing around inside it. "Crescent, I just made that all nice," she scolded, frowning.

"I'm breaking it in for him," Crescent mewed happily, continuing with his bouncing.

Winnie tackled him off the nest, pummeling him lightly with her hind paws. "I want to be an apprentice, too!" she crowed. "I'd be better than you!"

"No, you wouldn't!" Crescent argued hotly, shoving his sister roughly. "I'd be better! I'm stronger than you!"

"Yeah right!" she spat playfully, bundling him off to the side of the nest easily. "You're the runt."

Redpaw watched as the little kit puffed up like an angry jay, hiding his amusement. "This looks like a good nest, Winnie. Good job."

"Nest?" The kits stopped their play, identically tilting their heads.

"Birds live in nests," Crescent said slowly, as if were explaining something very important to someone very young. "Cats live in beds."

Redpaw laughed. "No, no. In ThunderClan, we call them nests. They're usually made of moss and feathers, but sometimes we put bracken in, too."

"Bracken," Winnie repeated. "Is that a grass or something?"

"It's a plant. It's has…fronds." He gestured with one paw as if he was trying to shape it in the air. "You've never seen it?"

"Mother says there's grass and then there are trees," Winnie explained, shrugging. "If it's not a tree, then it's grass."

"Not really," Redpaw disagreed.

Winnie shot him a look. "Well, that's what Mother says."

"Step on back now, scrap." October shuffled forward, something clasped in his mouth. It looked like a big rock, pale yellow and flecked with shiny specks.

"What's that?" Redpaw whispered to the kits. "What's he doing?"

Winnie looked at him curiously. "He's making fire, of course! What did you think he was doing?"

Redpaw leapt to his feet. "You're going to start a fire in here?" he asked, anger and fear in his voice. "Are you mousebrained?"

"Relax, Redpaw," Sophie said soothingly, flicking her tail for him to sit down. "It's fine."

"No, it's _not _fine." Redpaw sank his claws into the soft nest-stuff, not understanding why these cats didn't have the natural and reasonable fear of fire. They were going to bring it into their den, for StarClan's sake!

"Relax, bud." October readjusted his grip on the rock, maneuvering it over a pile of similarly-colored rocks. "It'll only eat what I give it. You gotta make it happy, y'know?"

"No, I don't know." Redpaw looked down at the kits, wondering why they weren't upset. "Are you crazy?"

Crescent looked up benignly. "We do this every night," he explained. "It keeps us warm and toasty."

"You'd rather be freezing?" Winnie questioned dryly.

Redpaw just sat back down irritably, pressing against the other wall as October dropped his stone on the pile of other stones. Sparks flew from the places the rocks smashed into each other.

Ears flat against his head, Redpaw watched as the gray loner repeated the motion, again and again and again until the sparks caught along the crushed dead pine needles that Sophie had arranged neatly. A small tongue of flame lapped at the rocks, and October quickly pushed them out of the way. "Don't want the metal melting, y'know."

"Metal?"

"Those shiny bits in those rocks." He rolled one over to Redpaw, nodding to it. "See? It's called metal. No-pelts use it to make those machines that they like to roll around in."

_He means monsters._ "How do you know all these words?" Redpaw questioned, feeling his head whirl from all the new terms.

Sophie shrugged. "That's what you get when you hang around with pet cats, I suppose. They pick up on those kind of things."

"Mm." Redpaw stared into the little fire, watching as October shoved bits of dry grass and twigs into it. "So it won't burn?"

"Oh, it'll burn. But if you keep it happy and fed, it'll stick around for a while. Give it too much and it'll get angry. Don't give it enough and it'll die. It likes to have the right amount." He laughed. "Just like a cat, huh?"

Redpaw just folded his ears back and said nothing. He got up out of his soft nest and padded to the furthest edge of the cave—away from the fire. He folded himself into a tight ball and whisked his tail over his nose, closing his eyes.

Crescent came over and pressed his paws against Redpaw's flank. "You're going to sleep over here by yourself?"

"Yes," Redpaw answered firmly. "I don't like fire."

"You'll be cold," Winnie warned.

"I know."

Winnie sighed, flattening her ears and closing her eyes. "Toms!" She twisted around and flopped down beside Redpaw, snuggling up against his back. "I guess I'm going to have to keep you warm, then."

"Me too." Crescent curled tightly against his sister, reaching out with his paws to bat at Redpaw's whiskers playfully. "You'll teach us apprentice stuff tomorrow, right?"

"Sure." _If I'll be here tomorrow, _Redpaw added silently. He huffed a sigh, closing his eyes as the sound of the crackling fire filled his ears and the pattern of bright flames colored his closed eyelids.

* * *

**So...random Redpaw adventure! I kinda based these kittehs off of two kittens that I saw in my backyard today (October and Sophie, that is) but then I decided on a new plotline! :D:D You lucky, lucky readers, you. **

**Also, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade is pretty much the best HM game ever. If you haven't played on yet, now's the time to start! :D:D Also, if you have played it, then join with me and rejoice the cuteness that is Gill. I'm totally marrying him in this one. XD**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	21. Chapter 20

**Bluuuuur, it's cold outside! I'm sitting in my warm pjs and fluffy socks, trying to stay warm! I'm such a pansy sometimes. ^.^**

**GinnyStar - Yeah, I didn't want them to just whip out a lighter, y'know? XD**

**Fwirl - Of course you did, Fwirly. Of course you did. I applaud "yo" as well. XD**

**icethroat21 - Heehee, isn't it? I happen to love the month October, and it mafkes for a very mysterious name. ;)**

**Lightkit - Haha! That pretty much sums it up! I LOVE Harvest Moon. I have all of the games, 'cept for a few for GBA. My favorite BY FAR is Animal Parade, though. They added a whole bunch of cool new stuff, and you can ride sheep! How cool is that?! My only issue with it is that it lags in some places and you have to pay to refine things. HOW STUPID IS THAT?! But it's still the best one~ You never played Save the Homeland? That was my favorite one before ToT came out. **

**Amazingly Awesome Person - Erm, well, no, not that either. XD But it does have to do with blood. BUT I SHALL REVEAL NO MORE THAN THAT! XD Do they have country accents? O.o I just think of it as "talking roughly," like very...informal. The Clan cats speak very formally, and I wanted some kittehs who didn't do that. XD Also, that's kinda like the way I talk, y'know? :P Aaaaaw, that movie made me cry. Especially since we had just put down my dog, Casey, before we watched it. : ( **

* * *

Amberpaw sighed, head on her paws. Blinking slowly, she stared out at the Clan. "Why does everything have to be so hard?" she muttered.

Hollypaw, who was gnawing at a squirrel bone beside her, paused. "What do you mean?"

"Training. Hunting. Everything." She heaved another sigh. "I wish I was a warrior by now." _Windfall's already got his name and everything,_ she added silently. _How can anyone take me seriously when I'm still a 'paw?_

But her sister just scoffed, sinking her claws into the bone. "Don't let Lionstar hear you say that." She tipped her ears obliquely to the Highledge, where the golden ThunderClan leader was standing, deep in conversation with Graystripe. "He might make you train doubly as hard."

Amberpaw laughed. "Maybe. I would hope not." Silence fell between them, the only noise the scrape of teeth against bone. "How's your training?"

"Fine. Graystripe says I'm progressing normally." She looked over. "You?"

"Fine, too, I guess." Amberpaw winced. "Sorreltail's patient, but not all the time. I thought she was going to box my ears the other day."

"That's because you nearly fell asleep, bumblepaws." Hollypaw looked down at her sister, amused. "Another bad dream?"

"Uh, yeah." Amberpaw tilted one ear back, hating that she was lying to her sister. To make up for her meetings every third night with Windfall, she had been telling everyone that asked that she was having recurring nightmares. _Not like that isn't true anyway,_ Amberpaw thought darkly, the same clench in her belly as she thought of the dream she had had nearly a season ago—the one of the strange, shimmering ball of light that had foretold her death.

Jayfeather hadn't made it any better. Ever since she had unwillingly told him and Leafpool, the gray tabby medicine cat apprentice had kept his eye on her, always watching for something that she wasn't sure about. His pale stare was always unfriendly and cold on her pelt.

"You should get some herbs or something," Hollypaw was saying, flipping the bone back and forth between her paws. "I'm sure Leafpool's got something for that."

"No, it's fine," Amberpaw said hastily. "I don't want her wasting herbs on me when she may need them on Harekit or Faintkit." Her heart squeezed painfully as she watched the two kits, huddled into a pile by the nursery. They were too exhausted to even play, their pelts and eyes dull.

Following her gaze, Hollypaw mewed gruffly, "They'll be alright. There was plenty of fresh-kill today."

Amberpaw scoffed. Hollypaw was being unusually optimistic even as the lack of prey wore on. _Probably because she's too proud to admit she's as hungry as everyone else,_ she mused, seeing her sister's lank gray pelt. The squirrel bone she was playing with was the only trace of the meal that she and Amberpaw had shared—a single leg of squirrel: barely enough to fill one cat's belly, let alone two.

"I think Graystripe's taking me out soon," Hollypaw told her, setting the bone down and adjusting it so that it was perfectly parallel with her body. "We're going to head down to the WindClan border to see if we can catch some rabbits that crossed the border. One of those will feed Harekit and Faintkit, not to mention the elders."

"I hope you catch one, then," Amberpaw murmured. "Sorreltail's not feeling well enough to hunt she says. I'm hoping she's not going to get sick like those RiverClan cats at the Gathering.

That Gathering had been a disappointment, she thought, returning her gaze to the ground. Windfall had been there, but was too surrounded by his over-protective Clanmates for her to get anywhere near him. She had hovered, frustrated, by Redpaw, casting hopeful glances towards the ShadowClan warrior.

Hollypaw twisted her jaw. "I'm sure she'll be fine, too. You worry too much."

"Mm. Maybe." Amberpaw stretched out with her forepaws and knocked the bone sideways, sending it clattering across the clearing to come to a stop in front of the thorn barrier's entrance.

"Oh, good job," Hollypaw muttered halfheartedly, heaving herself to her paws and trotting slowly after it, tail lashing behind her. She stooped and picked it up, then froze, ears pricked towards the barrier. Lifting her head—bone still in her jaws—she gasped in shock as Berrynose staggered into the clearing, the fur on his shoulder torn and hanging and a deep slice on his forehead that sent rivulets of blood into his eyes, blinding him. "Berrynose!" she exclaimed, dropping the bone on the ground with a rattle. "What happened to you?"

But the cream-colored warrior only had eyes for his leader. "Lionstar," he gasped out. "Redpaw, he…he's gone." He panted, his eyes wild.

Lionstar was down the Highledge and beside the warrior in a flash, his deputy beside him. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "Where is he?"

"We were hunting…along the stream by ShadowClan. The fox came out of nowhere, and I tried—" he broke off for a moment, out of breath, "—I tried to save him, but it got him and it carried him off. Quickly! We have to go now! We can still save him! We have to hurry!" His blue eyes were huge. "Please, Lionstar, we have to go _now_!"

The Clan had gathered in the clearing now, pelts spiked in horror.

Lionstar didn't need another moment to think. "Brightheart, Cloudtail, Spiderleg, Cinderheart, and Rosefall, come with me. Graystripe, you and Sorreltail guard here. Mousewhisker, you and Foxclaw run a sweep around the whole territory. Take two cats each with you." He met each cat's eye when he spoke to them, but Amberpaw could see the fear building in his eyes.

"Me and Amberpaw are coming, too." Hollypaw's jaw was set, her claws unsheathed. "I'll kill anyone who touches a hair on Redpaw's pelt," she added in a low growl. "I'm not afraid."

Lionstar nodded. "Let's go now. Berrynose, take the lead."

The patrol flew out of the clearing as quickly as if they had wings, racing through the forest like shadows. Berrynose, seeming to have recovered some of his strength, led the way, his wound-weak paws catching occasionally on scraps of branches or holes hidden by the crust of snow, but Graystripe and Cinderheart supported him on either side.

"Oh, StarClan," Amberpaw whispered. "Let him be safe!"

"Redpaw can take care of himself," Hollypaw mewed as in response, but the expression on her face was so distant, Amberpaw thought she was talking to herself. "He _has _to be okay."

Rosefall glanced sorrowfully over at Amberpaw, making a spike of fury shoot up her spine. _He's not dead!_ She wanted to scream the words. _He's fine! We're going to get him back!_

"This is the place," Berrynose rasped, pacing forward in the small alcove of trees, bordered on one side by the stream. He circled around the whole perimeter, nose to the ground. "He was right here when it grabbed him."

"I've…I've got some blood over here, Lionstar." Spiderleg sounded like something was caught in his throat. "A lot of it."

Cinderheart let out a little cry of horror.

Lionstar pushed the black-and-brown tom out of the way, pressing his nose almost into the drying puddle. "Redpaw," he whispered. Looking back up, he locked eyes with Berrynose. "Where did it grab him?"

"On the shoulder." Berrynose pushed his nose into Brightheart's white shoulder fur to show the ThunderClan leader, lacking the right amount of tail to do it himself. "Right here."

"And it carried him off? Where? Which direction?" Lionstar began to sound more animated, pacing agitatedly around the clearing. "We can track it. Cloudtail, you're the best in the Clan. See if you can—"

"It won't work," Cloudtail said bluntly.

Lionstar stopped pacing, one paw in midair. "What did you say?" he asked in a deadly low voice.

"It won't work." Cloudtail's words were hard but his eyes were sympathetic. "It's too late."

"It is _not _too late," Lionstar snarled, coming to stand nose-to-nose with the white warrior, looking like he was about to rake his claws down his ears. "I am your Clan leader, Cloudtail, and you will show me some respect. Now put your nose to the ground and track that fox."

"Lionstar," Brightheart mewed gently. "Scent the ground yourself. It's clear the fox went in the water. It would be impossible to track the scent."

"So you're saying we should give up?" Cinderheart looked livid, angrier than Amberpaw had ever seen her. "Would _you _give up if it was Whitewing that got carried off by a fox?"

Cloudtail's fur bristled. "Cinderheart, I would gladly trade myself for Redpaw, you know that. But this is useless. He's gone." He turned his hard blue gaze on Lionstar. "You know he's gone."

"It's not true!" Hollypaw's voice was barely below a screech. "Redpaw's alive! I'll go after him myself if you're too much of a coward to, _Cloudtail_!"

"Don't, Hollypaw," Amberpaw whispered, but in her heart, she agreed with her sister.

"Don't tell me what to do, Amberpaw." The gray she-cat turned to her sister furiously, her amber eyes sparking like flames. "Lionstar, let me go by myself. I'll find Redpaw."

Lionstar had his eyes shut, claws dug into the ground.

Cinderheart's tail lashed. "I'll go with you, Hollypaw," she announced, not waiting for permission. She flicked her tail to her daughter, and the two of them padded along the bank of the stream, noses in the air and mouths open to scent.

"Wait for me!" Amberpaw, after casting one more glance at her frozen father, followed after her mother and sister.

Hollypaw was down in the stream itself, icy water churning against her belly fur, soaking into the thick pelt like moss. Her mouth was open as she drew in air, eyes searching for any trace of her brother.

"Cinderheart," Amberpaw called, walking up beside her mother, who scraped along the edges of trees. "Cinderheart, are we going to find him?"

The gray she-cat stopped, turning around to stare at her daughter. "Of course we are," she stated simply. "StarClan will tell us where to look."

"What if he went into ShadowClan territory?" Amberpaw pressed, seeing the other cats of the patrol following slowly after them, even Cloudtail. "What then?"

"Then we'll go in and get him," Cinderheart hissed, her eyes hard.

Lionstar padded slowly up to his mate, rubbing against her shoulder. "We'll find him," he whispered, only to her.

Cinderheart just nodded mutely.

Amberpaw watched her parents, anguish nearly making her heart stop. Redpaw carried off by a fox alive…did that mean…?

She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Lionstar!" Hollypaw yowled, running back up with something in her mouth—a tuft of red fur.

Cloudtail's eyes were solemn. "It's Redpaw's," he said unnecessarily. "Ripped from his pelt, looks like. That means that he was fighting."

"Still is," Hollypaw corrected bluntly.

Cloudtail twitched his whiskers and said nothing.

Amberpaw looked from the scrap of fur to ShadowClan's forest, trying to piece it together. The fox carried Redpaw into ShadowClan territory and to its den?

A yowl split the air. Four ShadowClan cats stalked out of their territory, eyes bright and angry. The cat in the lead—a lean dark brown tom—stared at Lionstar incredulously. "What are you doing here, Lionstar?" he demanded.

The golden leader brushed his gaze across the patrol. "We're on our own land, Owlflight," he said distantly. "You have no quarrel with us."

Amberpaw's heart froze when she saw who was on the patrol: a light brown she-cat, a young-looking golden tom, and _Windfall._

The white tabby looked alarmed, his pale eyes wide.

Amberpaw quickly shot him a furtive look: _Don't act like you know me!_

Windfall's mouth dropped open, then he closed it, nodding.

"Well?" Owlflight prompted.

"We're looking for a missing apprentice," Lionstar said at last. "Have you had any scent of ThunderClan?"

The patrol laughed meanly.

"As if we could care less," the she-cat sneered. "One less cat for us to worry about."

Windfall frowned slightly. He looked at Amberpaw and mouthed, "Who?"

"My brother," she said silently, turning her head to the side so Spiderleg couldn't see her.

Eyes narrowed, he nodded minutely. "Owlflight, maybe we should help," he suggested, making his voice low. "After all, we don't want some nosy kit prowling around on our land." He shot a dirty look at Lionstar, genuine venom in his pale blue eyes.

Noticing this, Lionstar curled his lip. "We don't need your help," he spat.

"We can't allow you to come onto our land without permission from Rowanstar," the she-cat drawled.

"Don't forget we saved your tails with that Twoleg monster," Cloudtail added, the threat emphasized by his extended claws.

The she-cat flinched, but only just. "That was one time. ShadowClan helped you at the battle when the moon passed in front of the sun!"

"You weren't even born then, Olivenose," Cinderheart said disparagingly. "Don't pretend anything. Now you go get your leader and tell him to come over here."

"No way." Owlflight shook his head. "That's not going to happen. Search on your own land."

"Get Rowanstar," Lionstar hissed softly.

"No," the tom answered, just as hostilely. "Now get out."

With a furious snarl, Lionstar launched himself at the brown tom, pinning him down with one paw and cuffing him hard across the head with his other. Owlflight twisted and writhed under the blows, but the ThunderClan leader was too strong. Sinking his claws into the loose skin around the ShadowClan warrior's neck, he slammed the cat down hard enough for Amberpaw to feel the vibrations through the ground.

The look on her father's face was terrifying, and for the first time in her life, Amberpaw was afraid of him.

The other ShadowClan cats went to move after Lionstar with claws unsheathed—even Windfall—but Owlflight ordered them off. "Stop, stop," he choked out, twisting his muzzle around through the cold dust to glare hatefully up at Lionstar, one eye closed from clotting dirt. "Get off of me," he rasped.

"Not until you agree to get your leader," Lionstar spat in return, contempt dripping from his words.

"Fine, fine." Owlflight scrambled ungracefully to his paws after the ThunderClan leader let him up, shaking out his filthy pelt. "We'll go and get him."

"No tricks," Cloudtail added.

Owlflight's eyes narrowed. "Are you questioning my honor, kittypet?"

Cloudtail laughed scornfully, but Amberpaw saw his pelt was bristling. "It's been a long time since I heard that," he exclaimed, claws unsheathing. "How about you come over here and show me your brave warrior moves. I don't want to waste any time in kicking your sorry tail across your own land, mousebrain."

Lionstar looked tempted to let him do it. "Just go and be back here. Immediately."

The ShadowClan patrol looked furious to be beaten by ThunderClan cats. Owlflight, somewhat humbled by Lionstar's show of force, turned to Windfall. "You and Thrushpaw wait here with them. Make sure they don't cross our scent marks."

"Believe me," Windfall answered, coldly throwing a glance over his shoulder, "they won't."

Satisfied, Owlflight turned to pad away, flicking his tail for Olivenose to follow. The light brown she-cat trailed her tail down Windfall's flank affectionately, pushing her nose into his shoulder fur for a heartbeat until padding after the other warrior.

Ice filled Amberpaw's heart as her worst fears were confirmed: Windfall didn't take her seriously.

The white tabby's eyes were narrowed, but his gaze was fixed on the ground.

"We should keep scenting around here," Cinderheart announced, more as an order than a suggestion, snapping Amberpaw out of her panicking. "Hollypaw?"

"On it." The gray she-cat apprentice was already prowling around again, tail lashing. The others wandered away, Berrynose leading them up to the tree that he had climbed to escape the fox, showing them his clawmarks still evident on the pale bark.

Deep concentration was on Hollypaw's face, and she wandered too close to the border, immediately eliciting a response from the apprentice.

"On your own territory," the golden she-cat—Thrushpaw, Amberpaw remembered—spat, fur fluffed up with fury. "You're on ours!"

Hollypaw glared disparagingly down at the younger apprentice. "Shut up, mousebrain," she hissed. "I'm nowhere near the border."

Windfall said nothing, eyes half-shut. "Rowanstar will be here soon," he said calmly. "Stay on your own side until then."

Hollypaw looked at him furiously. "If it was your Clanmate, you'd be leaping over here!"

Windfall looked faintly amused. "If you think that, then you don't know me at all, Hollypaw."

Amberpaw fastened her eyes on her paws, shoulder fur bristling. _He doesn't care about anyone, _she realized. _He doesn't care about his Clanmates, his leader, or…or me._ She swallowed hard, twisting her head away.

Hollypaw looked sourly at him. "Listen here, stink-pelt," she whispered, coming to stand not even a mouselength away, close enough that the skittish apprentice, Thrushpaw, fell back into an anxious crouch, fur spiked. "I don't give a foxdung that you think you're StarClan's gift to the Clans, alright? But my brother is missing, and I'm going to find him whether Rowanstar gives his permission or not. You got that?"

Windfall met her furious stare levelly, ears flat against his head. "No ThunderClan cat is allowed on ShadowClan territory," he growled. "Not you, not your leader, _no one._" He bared his teeth, hissing softly. "_You _got that?"

"What's going on here?" Rowanstar had arrived, dark ginger pelt bristling as a line of ShadowClan warriors fanned out behind him. Owlflight stood at his side, a smug look on his blunt muzzle.

Amberpaw narrowed her eyes incredulously. "So much for no tricks," she hissed to Hollypaw, who hadn't moved from her position.

"Lionstar?" the ShadowClan leader prompted.

"Rowanstar, we're here to ask permission to come onto your territory to search for a missing apprentice." Lionstar dipped his head courteously.

"A missing apprentice?" Rowanstar tilted his head. "Why would one of your apprentices come onto our territory?"

"We believe he was carried away," Lionstar said evasively.

"By a fox," Owlflight filled in for his leader. "There's fox scent all over the place. They were searching for blood."

"Well, if a fox got him, there's no point looking," a gray tom muttered to the cat next to him, who also nodded in agreement.

"He's probably cub food by now." Smokefoot, the deputy, padded up beside his leader, yellow eyes scornful. "You're going to bring back a scrap of pelt?"

Lionstar hissed in disbelief. "You let your warriors speak so freely, Rowanstar?"

Cinderheart looked like she was having a hard time controlling herself, her jaw working as if she was speaking.

"Smokefoot," Rowanstar warned. "Be silent."

The black tom looked disgruntled, but obliged, lowering his head obediently.

_Faker, _Amberpaw thought furiously, her tail lashing behind her.

Brightheart and Spiderleg just stood awkwardly at the back, but Cloudtail and Rosefall already had their claws unsheathed and ready, despite being outnumbered severely.

Rowanstar looked thoughtful. "Alright," he answered at last. "We'll allow you on our territory. But," he interrupted, seeing Hollypaw already starting to move, "you will be accompanied by _my_ warriors at all times."

"Fine," Lionstar agreed eagerly. "Let's go now."

Rowanstar nodded. "We'll help. Do you have any of…" He trailed off.

"Redpaw," Amberpaw answered.

"Any of Redpaw's scent?"

"Yes." Hollypaw rushed up with her few scraps of fur. "Here."

"Oakfur," Rowanstar called, turning to a small brown tom. "You and Toadfoot come and take a sniff of this. Lead your own patrols down by the lake. Scent for Redpaw and for foxes."

A dark brown prowled forward, one ear shredded to ribbons. He drew in the scent of the fur—now piled on the ground in front of Rowanstar—then stepped back and nodded. "Alright. Ivytail, Ratscar, you can come with me."

Oakfur turned to his Clanmates. "I'll take Scorchblaze and Shrewface."

The patrols padded off, noses to the ground, and Rowanstar turned back to the ThunderClan cats. "Would you rather break up your patrol or keep it in one piece?"

"Don't you think it's safer to split them up?" Smokefoot asked in a hushed voice, his eyes darting to Lionstar's unsheathed claws.

Rowanstar considered this, nodding. "Two groups," he ordered. "You decided how to split them up."

"Fine." Amberpaw could tell that Lionstar didn't like the ShadowClan cats giving orders to _his _warriors, but he didn't say anything. "Cloudtail, Brightheart, Spiderleg, and Rosefall, into one patrol. You're in charge, Cloudtail. Berrynose, you come with me, Cinderheart, and Hollypaw and Amberpaw."

"Do you need some herbs for your wounded?" Flameleap, the ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice, padded up, his green eyes sympathetic. "His wound could get infected."

"I'm fine," Berrynose answered quickly. "I can get some herbs after my apprentice is found."

Flameleap stepped back respectfully, but his eyes were uncertain. "Of course," was all he said.

Amberpaw fell into step beside Hollypaw, who was still casting dirty looks at Windfall.

Noticing this, Smokefoot's face grew smug. "I'll lead one patrol, Rowanstar," he told his leader. "I'll take Dawnfeather, Crowfrost, Snaketail, Whitewater, and Windfall. We'll take Lionstar's patrol."

Amberpaw barely held back a hiss of disdain. _Is he serious? He knows that Hollypaw hates him, and yet he still put Windfall on the patrol._ She tried to ignore the little lopsided squeeze that her heart gave at the thought of being near Windfall.

"Fine. I'll take the other. Meet back at the camp if you can find anything, alright?" Rowanstar flicked his tail to the rest of the cats and, following after Oakfur's patrol, disappeared into the forest.

Smokefoot curled his tail triumphantly as he padded to the front of the patrol, cutting off even Lionstar. "Crowfrost," he prompted, turning to a black-and-white tom, who was sitting with his eyes glazed and his whiskers twitching.

"Hmm." Crowfrost padded to Smokefoot's side, nose against the ground.

"I scented his blood on the other side of the stream," Cloudtail informed him, stepping up to the ShadowClan warrior. "His trail led right to—"

"Are you ShadowClan?" Smokefoot demanded, shoving the white warrior away. "Sit back and shut up, ThunderClan. Crowfrost knows what he's doing."

"Watch your tone," Lionstar snapped. "You are not the leader."

"In this patrol I am," Smokefoot said confidently, chin in the air. "And you will respect what I say, or else we won't find your precious little apprentice."

Cinderheart yowled a challenge, back arched and her fangs bared. "Speak one more word and it'll be your last, mousebrain," she snapped. "That's my son you're talking about! If you had any scrap of a brain, you'd understand that I need to find him!" By the end of her words, desperation had crept into her voice.

Smokefoot blinked in shock. "Well. Let's find your kit, then." He inclined his head slightly to Cinderheart and stepped aside, allowing Cloudtail to pad hesitantly forward again to crouch beside Crowfrost.

Hollypaw laughed hollowly. "He's faking," she accused.

"No," Amberpaw murmured, seeing Windfall staring at Smokefoot incredulously, mouth half-hanging open. "He's not." _He must be thinking about his own kits: Hazelkit and Nightkit. _A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about another Hazel, but she shook it off, padding next to her sister.

"I've got something," Crowfrost announced, turning to Lionstar. "Is this his scent?"

Lionstar rushed forward eagerly, sniffing at the small pattering of blood on the ground. "Yes," he answered, looking slightly crestfallen. "It's stale, though."

"Well, it's dried, see?" Crowfrost gestured with one paw to the dirt around it. "But we've got a few fox tracks heading this way. The cold mud preserved them."

"Will you be able to find him?" Windfall asked.

"Maybe," Crowfrost answered, but he didn't sound certain. "It looks like it headed this way, towards the center of the territory."

"Are you sure?" Cinderheart demanded, coming forward to look at the bloodstain. "Doesn't it look like it was heading this way instead?" She pointed with her muzzle to the back of ShadowClan territory.

Cloudtail shook his head. "Look at the tracks, Cinderheart," he prompted. "They're leading this way. It must have a den nearby."

"Then let's go," Lionstar growled, shaking his fur. "I want to get him home."

* * *

"That's it," Smokefoot whispered.

Amberpaw leaned up over the rise, staring at the mound of dirt and sticks that jutted out of the ground like a tick in a cat's fur. "A fox den?"

"Yes. The tracks lead right to it." Crowfrost turned to Smokefoot. "What's the plan?"

"Direct attack," the deputy answered confidently, his claws unsheathed. By now, it was dark, and the light of the quarter moon shone dimly through the trees. "It'll be sleeping; we shouldn't have any problems."

"How is that going to work?" Whitewater pressed forward, turning her head to the side to check out the den with her good eye.

"Dawnfeather, you and Snaketail can scare it. Just make a lot of noise, and it should come out. As you lead it away, Lionstar, you and your cat can attack it. Windfall, you and I can go in and grab him."

"I'll go, too," Hollypaw mewed. "I'm small enough to get into any cracks Redpaw could be hiding in."

"Me too," Amberpaw said firmly.

"No," Windfall argued. "One apprentice is enough." His pale eyes were hard.

Amberpaw bared her teeth at him. _You haven't spoken a word to me this whole time, and now you're telling me that I can't go in and save my own brother?_

"You're right, Windfall." Smokefoot nodded. "Amberpaw, you go with the surprising party. You can team up with Thrushpaw."

The golden apprentice didn't look enthused about the plan. "Don't slow me down," she hissed as she passed.

"As if I could!" Amberpaw scoffed, resisting the urge to rake her claws down the rude she-cat's pelt.

Lionstar led Spiderleg, Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Rosefall down to the edge of the rise, creeping slowly across the ground. Cinderheart and Crowfrost stood at the top of the hill, their eyes shining in the light from the dim moon.

Smokefoot was the first to approach the hole, peering down inside the foul-smelling den. He raised his tail in confirmation: the fox was inside.

Amberpaw felt a surge of relief. She was going to get her brother back.

With twin yowls, alarmingly loud, Snaketail and Dawnfeather plunged in front of the den, hissing and caterwauling ear-piercingly.

The fox appeared suddenly, its dark ginger fur nearly black in the darkness, and a thick slice bisecting the fur at its throat. Its muzzle was heavily grayed, its whiskers sticking out in all directions.

Amberpaw was confused at how such an old fox was able to fight off both Berrynose and Redpaw, but pushed the thought aside as she flew down the slope with Thrushpaw at her side, screeching at the fox, who whirled, trying to kick out at them with its heavy forepaws.

Lionstar and Spiderleg tackled the fox, knocking it to the ground as Rosefall and Cloudtail fell upon it, Brightheart slashing down its flank. The fox squealed and thrashed, but the hold of the five cats was too much for it.

Amberpaw watched as Windfall and Hollypaw dove down the hole, Smokefoot hot on their heels. Turning to her father, she watched as he delivered a thudding blow to the fox's grizzled muzzle, making it yip in pain.

After what felt like an eternity, Smokefoot returned out of the hole, followed closely by Windfall. Hollypaw was the last to come out, and Amberpaw waited impatiently for Redpaw to follow them out.

He never came.

Hollypaw dashed over to Amberpaw and pushed her face into her sister's fur—an uncharacteristic show of emotion. "He wasn't there, Amberpaw!" she wailed. "We followed the wrong fox! Redpaw's gone! He's dead!"

* * *

**Oh noes! What will happen next? I'll tell ya now, the next one's gonna be an Amber chapter again, so I hope you guys don't mind. :D:D**

**Now, I'mma go play me some Animal Parade. XDDDDDDDD **

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	22. Chapter 21

**Beastly chapter tiiiiime~ It's 6K, guys. _Whaaaaaaat_? **

**Amazingly Awesome Person - Aaw, but your theories are so cool! XD Yeah, I hear the word "kin" a lot in old-ish books that I adore. Wuthering Heights, White Fang, stuffs like that. Haha! Noooo, I'm definitely not a bumpkin. I live in Florida, and Florida is _definitely _not The South. I have a friend who told me that she just enjoyed a New Year's meal of _hog jaw. _And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. XP Aaaaw, that's so sad. : ( I was going to be a vet, but I changed it for that very reason. And the fact that I enjoy writing waaaaaay to much to be sane. XD**

**GinnyStar - Thankies, thankies~**

**Icethroat21 - Have I been writing your name with a lowercased i this whole time? I'm sorry! ^.^' Didn't you used to have it that way? **

**Lightkit - PS2. The only problem is that you can't get married and everything restarts every year. =\ I'm sure you can wiki it~ **

**Fwirl - Hey now, I only used Engrish on purpose. Yeah...that's it. NITPICKY KOHAI! XP**

**violinlover71898 - Haha! Thankies~ I love Shattered the best, I think. Though there's much more angst coming in this one--pinky swear~ ;) Well, Cloudtail's just being realistic. What are the chances of Redpaw actually being alive (if that were to actually happen), y'know? Cinderheart and Hollypaw prefer to live in denial for now. ;)**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Amberpaw stood staring at the ground, wanting to fall to her belly and cover her ears with her paws, wanting to block out Cinderheart's wails and Lionstar's numb expression of gratitude to the ShadowClan patrol that led them here. The fox, once let up from its pinned position, took off like a bird and disappeared into the forest, not giving one look back at its home.

Hollypaw was inconsolable. She paced pack and forth, wearing a track in the now-falling snow.

Smokefoot was staring down into the hole still, his expression puzzled. "How is this possible?" he muttered to himself. "We followed the tracks all the way here."

Cloudtail nudged Brightheart gently. The ginger-and-white she-cat sighed heavily, pressing her nose into Cinderheart's fur comfortingly. "He runs with StarClan now," she whispered to the grieving she-cat.

"No." It was the first word Hollypaw had said since she came out of the den. "No, he is _not _dead! This is just the wrong fox, that's all. We can go back to the stream and start over."

"It's no use," Spiderleg said gruffly, his head hung low. "The snow will have covered up even the tracks now."

"Well, we can find some other way, can't we?" Hollypaw asked desperately. "If this is the wrong fox, then there has to be a _right _fox! How many could there be around here?"

"Hollypaw's right, isn't she?" Amberpaw asked tentatively. "We can just track foxes by scent."

"And how long do you pretend to keep up the hope that your brother isn't already dead?" Smokefoot's words were harsh, but his tone was still disbelieving. "How many times have you seen something like this happen? A kit dragged off by a fox?"

Cinderheart just stared blankly, her eyes unfocused. "We have to keep looking," she whispered to Lionstar.

Lionstar nodded. "We can send out more search parties in the morning," he ordered. "First light."

Whitewater tipped her head back to look at the sky. "Smokefoot, the snow's picking up," she told the deputy. "We should get home before we're trapped in it."

Smokefoot nodded. "You're right." Turning to Lionstar, he dipped his head, former aggression all but gone now. "Please come with us back to camp. Rowanstar will speak with you there. With this storm coming, it's dangerous for you to head back to your own territory."

"We don't need—" Rosefall started to protest, but Lionstar cut her off.

"It's fine," he mewed wearily. "Thank you."

Smokefoot dipped his head, turning around to lead the way back to ShadowClan's camp.

Hollypaw was still staring into the fox den.

"Come on," Amberpaw mewed gently. "Let's get some rest so we can look for him tomorrow. Okay?"

Nodding, her sister turned around and fell into step beside Amberpaw, her tail trailing the ground.

Amberpaw felt as empty as Hollypaw, like a giant claw had reached inside of her and ripped out all of her insides. Redpaw…gone? Redpaw dead? Killed like a piece of prey? The very thought made her feel like she was going to be sick.

Windfall followed just behind, and Amberpaw could feel his pale gaze on her pelt. _Why does he want to bother me now? Right after I found out that my brother is missing and probably gone forever!_

"I'm sorry," he murmured, picking up his pace to walk beside her, bending his head close to hers. "About your brother."

"Thank you," she mewed frostily.

"Amberpaw, it's not what it looks like." She could barely hear his voice. "You know that."

"All I know is that my brother is gone," she snapped, voice cracking. She didn't dare look at his face.

Hollypaw, for once, didn't say anything.

Windfall took in an uneven breath, then dipped his head. "Olivenose means nothing to me," he breathed in her ear. "She's nothing."

Amberpaw didn't want to believe the leap her heart gave at his words, the only shining bit of hope in the dark hole she found herself in. Lifting her chin, she pressed into Hollypaw's shoulder comfortingly, licking her sister across the ears.

Windfall made a small noise in the back of his throat, then cleared his throat, falling back to a respectful distance expected of an enemy warrior.

"We're almost there," Smokefoot called back over his shoulder, having to raise his voice over the wind that drove Amberpaw's fur backwards. "Just beyond this boulders!"

Lionstar nodded, turning his head around to peer behind him. "Are you two alright?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes dim.

"Fine," Amberpaw answered for both of them, seeing that Hollypaw hadn't even acknowledged her father's voice.

Lionstar's eyes grew warmer as he brushed his muzzle against Amberpaw's cheek, nuzzling Hollypaw across the ears. "We'll get through this," he added in a whisper. "Redpaw won't be forgotten."

A lump rose in Amberpaw's throat, and she nodded blankly.

The ShadowClan cats grew more animated as they reached closer to the camp, their tails flicking.

"Rowanstar!" Smokefoot's yowl was barely audible at this point, and his pelt was only a smudge in the white gale. "We've brought the patrol back here!"

Amberpaw uneasily followed Rosefall and Cloudtail into the ShadowClan camp, feeling Spiderleg and Brightheart file in close behind her, bustling her along when she halted to stare at the unfamiliar landscape.

The camp itself was little more than a dip in the ground, barricaded by a strong, thick swath of brambles and dead gorse, twisted through with thick branches that braced against the ground and a few pine trees that stuck up through the thorns like reaching claws. The snowstorm was cut off by the protection, only a few flakes circling in through the tiny gap in the brambles they had just squeezed through.

The scent of ShadowClan filled her nostrils, as sharp and bitter as crushed pine needles. The cats of the enemy Clan poured out of their dens, mouths open to scent the newcomers. Some even came close enough to touch the ThunderClan cats, eyes sharp and curious.

"What's this?" A tortoiseshell she-cat padded out of what Amberpaw presumed was the warriors' den—a clump of tangled bracken stems that formed a complete dome overhead.

Rowanstar padded up to the she-cat, brushing his muzzle against hers. "ThunderClan will be sheltering here tonight, Tawnypelt."

"What?" The hiss of disbelief came from more than one cat, the most outspoken of them a gray tom with a crippled back leg.

"Are you serious, Rowanstar?" he demanded, staring directly at Lionstar. "We can't trust them!"

"They helped us out with the Twoleg monster, Cedarheart," Rowanstar pointed out. "We can at least allow them shelter for today."

"Well, they can't have _my _nest," one she-cat grumbled, her shoulder fur bristling.

"Surely you don't expect them to sleep in our dens with us, do you?" A light brown she-cat apprentice pressed close to an older cat—presumably her mentor.

Rowanstar looked like he was starting to get annoyed. "Flightpaw, I expect you to show respect to these cats. That goes for all of you," he added, raising his voice. "We will treat them no differently than we would treat one another."

Grumblings rose from the warriors, and they shuffled around uneasily.

A long-legged tabby warrior pushed his way to the front—Blackstripe, Amberpaw realized with a prickle of surprise. "There's plenty of space in the warriors' den for all of you," he mewed. "It'll be warmer for everyone."

"Blackstripe's right," Tawnypelt agreed, curling her tail. "Your two apprentices can sleep in the den with the others."

"I'd prefer to have them in the warriors' den as well," Lionstar put in. "They're very young apprentices."

Amberpaw shot her father a sharp look. _We've been training for four moons! What's he playing at?_

Rowanstar just dipped his head. "Alright. Scorchblaze, you and Applenose can set up nests for our guests. I expect no fighting: ThunderClan have lost a Clanmate." His voice was stern.

That stopped the Clan's grumblings.

A reddish-brown she-cat nudged a smudgy-brown tom beside her—the mentor to the angry apprentice, Flightpaw. "Come on, Marshpelt," she mewed. "Come help me with all of these feathers."

The tom set back his ears, sighing. "Alright then." Suddenly, he turned to look down at Amberpaw, his head tilted to the side. "Hey, do you know a cat named Birchfall?"

"Of course," she mewed in shock. "He's in my Clan."

"How is he?" the she-cat asked, coming to stand next to them.

"Fine," Amberpaw answered hesitantly. "His kits were just made warriors."

"Oh, so those _were _his kits." Marshpelt turned to look at the she-cat. "Told you," he snorted. "And you thought otherwise, Applenose."

"Well, they don't really look like him," Applenose said defensively. "How was I supposed to know?"

Amberpaw twisted one ear behind her head, not sure what to think of these ShadowClan cats. "Are you…friends?"

"Yup!" Applenose purred. "We were friends along the Great Journey."

"_You_ were on it?" Amberpaw couldn't believe that such young-looking warriors were part of the journey seasons ago.

"We were just kits," Marshpelt told her, his apprentice loitering awkwardly behind him, too shy or suspicious to come any closer. "Birchfall was our playmate for the journey. Look at this." He twisted his shoulder to the side. "See that?"

Amberpaw leaned closer to see that two identical scars bisected the fur of his shoulders. "What's that?"

"I got grabbed by a hawk. Lifted into the air and everything."

Amberpaw gasped. "And you survived?"

Applenose laughed. "Well, it would look that way, wouldn't it?" she asked dryly.

Amberpaw's fur flushed with embarrassment. "I didn't mean—"

"Applenose, get your tail in gear," the dark tom with the ragged ear, Toadfoot, snapped, coming to stand beside the she-cat. "Rowanstar asked you to do something, remember?"

"Oh, s-sorry," she squeaked, nodding in farewell to Amberpaw before dashing off after the other warrior.

"Our brother," Marshpelt confided in her, rolling his eyes. "He hopes to be the leader one day. Toadstar. Can you imagine it?" He laughed, cuffing his apprentice over the ears with one paw. "Ready to get some feathers, Flightpaw?"

The light brown apprentice set her ears back, eyes narrowed to slits.

As the two ShadowClan cats set off, Amberpaw turned back to her own Clanmates, huddled in the center of the clearing. Pressing up against Hollypaw, she whispered, "Did you hear that?"

Hollypaw just shook her head. "I want to go home," she said hollowly. "I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I," Amberpaw murmured. "But from here, we can get an early start tomorrow."

Hollypaw's mouth quirked. "Maybe. Do you think they're going to feed us?"

As if he had read her mind, Rowanstar let out a yowl, leaping up onto a low-lying branch that extended from a deeply-rooted pine tree. "ShadowClan, gather here!"

Most of the Clan were already hovering around the edges of the camp, but a queen and a pair of elders crept out from their thickly-protected dens.

"What's this? ThunderClan?" one elder grumbled. "Told you my nose was working just fine, Ryefur."

"Shut up," Ryefur snapped at his companion. "Rowanstar's called a meeting, mousebrain!"

"It's Mouse_foot_, actually," the senile old cat corrected. "I would have thought you'd remember by now, Ryefur. I'm surprised at you."

"Just shut up!"

Amberpaw blinked. _I didn't know that ShadowClan cats were…so much like us. _The two old toms' bickering reminded her of old Mousefur, the oldest cat she-cat in ThunderClan whom had died when she was just a kit. Mousefur had a sharp tongue and a quick wit that had lasted all the way up to her peaceful death.

Rowanstar's tail was flicking. "As you've noticed, we've got a ThunderClan patrol in our camp. They'll be spending the night here, so everyone must make a little room in the den. It's too cold to sleep outside."

"Well, _I _won't be able to sleep with that mousy stink in my nose," a white she-cat grumbled.

"Then you're welcome to sleep in the clearing, Snowbird." Rowanstar's voice was disparaging. "Better load up on moss."

The she-cat curled her lip at her leader but said nothing.

"Alright?" Rowanstar waited for a heartbeat more before leaping down and padding over to Lionstar. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "We're not used to outsiders in my camp."

"We will return this favor," Lionstar promised. "ThunderClan will be there for you."

"Thank you." Rowanstar dipped his head. "Please take something from our fresh-kill pile. Just share it amongst yourselves," he added, wincing as he saw the meager state of the pile.

"Of course. Cinderheart?" Lionstar padded after his mate, allowing her to choose a scrawny mouse from the pile.

"Here." Tawnypelt plucked a pigeon out of the pile, nodding to Cloudtail and Brightheart. "We can share a bite, can't we?" she asked, her voice muffled by feathers.

Following her lead, Applenose and Marshpelt filed over next, grabbing a piece of prey and padding over to Spiderleg and Rosefall, eyes bright and friendly. Toadfoot watched from a distance, sulking near a gray she-cat as sour-faced as he was.

"Here. Let's share."

Amberpaw looked up at the soft voice to see Windfall standing there, a limp blackbird hanging from his jaws.

"There's plenty here," he added, wiggling the delicious-smelling prey closer to her nose.

"No thanks," she said frostily. "I already have someone to share with."

"Well, she looks a little busy," Windfall said dryly, setting down the blackbird and looking pointedly over at Hollypaw, who was ripping a mouthful from a squirrel sitting between herself and two sharped-faced apprentices. _Looks like she's making friends, _Amberpaw noted.

"So come on," Windfall urged her. "It'll be frozen stiff soon." He padded to a secluded, relatively wind-free portion of the camp and dropped to his belly, holding the blackbird between his paws and beginning to rip mouthfuls of feathers off of the dead bird.

Slowly sinking onto her belly as well, Amberpaw sank her claws into the cold ground, watching him pull feathers loose.

"I'm sorry about your brother," he said again, pale eyes guarded.

"Me too," Amberpaw said stiffly.

"Don't be like that," he protested. "You know—"

"I don't know anything anymore," she hissed, cutting him off. "My brother was carried off by a fox, and then I had to come over here and see you and—" She stopped herself, highly aware of what she had almost said—what she had almost given away.

Windfall looked down at his paws, shoving the denuded bird over to her roughly. "Don't be stupid," he spat.

"I'm not." She didn't touch the blackbird.

"Come on, eat something." He motioned to the prey with one impatient paw. "You're about to get blown away in your state. Haven't you been _eating_?"

"You just saw me three days ago," she hissed, unconsciously dropping her voice.

"Three days is a long time," he mewed just as softly. "Is prey bad right now?"

Amberpaw clamped her jaws shut, not looking at him or the bird, even though the smell made her mouth water.

"Well, if you won't eat, I will." Windfall clawed the prey back over to him, leaning down and taking a big mouthful. "I hate feathers, so I got rid of them all ahead of time. ShadowClan usually use them as bedding, but these are useless." He trailed his paw through the prickly feathers to demonstrate. "Too rough and pokey."

"Mm." Amberpaw laid her head down on her paws.

"Amberpaw, look at me." Windfall crept closer, and against her will, Amberpaw looked up, surprised to see his pale eyes were uncharacteristically soft. "Olivenose might be padding after me, but I don't feel anything towards her. Nothing."

_How can I believe you?_ She wanted to say the words, but they just wouldn't come.

"Here." He nosed the prey over to her. "You need to eat. You look like a half-dead rat."

"Thanks," she muttered dryly, taking a bite of the bird. The sensation of warm food in her belly was wonderful, and she went back for another mouthful.

"There." Windfall sounded satisfied. "That's better, isn't it?"

Licking her lips, Amberpaw pushed the bird back over to him. "A little," she admitted.

"You know, this is the first time we've eaten together," he added. "After knowing each other for so long, we've never even shared a meal."

"Well, it would be against the warrior code any other time," she pointed out, feeling strength grow in her limbs from the meat in her belly.

He laughed softly. "True. How do you like ShadowClan's camp?" He gestured to the trees with a flick of his tail. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I guess. But it's so..._open_."

"Compared to being trapped in ThunderClan's camp?" he asked teasingly.

"Maybe." She swallowed her last bite, embarrassedly looking back up at Windfall when there was nothing left but bones.

"It's fine." He got to his paws and kicked dirt over the little pile. "I've already eaten today, anyway. You should get some rest now. You look like you're about to drop."

"Will Rowanstar allow us to search the territory tomorrow?" Amberpaw asked through a massive yawn. "We need to find Redpaw…or at least…you know." She couldn't bear to bring herself to say the word _body_.

Windfall's eyes were solemn. "Even if he doesn't, I will," he vowed.

"That's against the code," she disagreed.

"Everything to do with you is against the code," he murmured in a low voice, so quietly, Amberpaw wasn't sure she was supposed to hear.

"Amberpaw." Hollypaw padded up to her sister, eyes dull. "Lionstar wants us to meet him in front of the den." Her eyes passed over Windfall without seeing him.

"Okay."

"See you in there." Windfall flicked her with his tail tip before squeezing into the thorn den.

Amberpaw pushed her nose into her sister's fur comfortingly. "We'll be out of here soon."

"Not soon enough," Hollypaw said sourly, padding up to Lionstar.

The golden leader trailed his tail down his daughters' flanks, eyes tired. "We won't be here but for one night," he mewed, turning to his Clanmates. "We'll be back in the stone hollow by dawn."

Spiderleg looked distinctly annoyed to be spending the night in such close proximity to enemy warriors. "Does this mean we're indebted to ShadowClan?" he asked bitterly.

"Yes," Lionstar mewed firmly. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Berrynose trudged up next, his ear and above his eye coated with a thick layer of sticky web. Amberpaw could smell the tangy scent of herbs coming from underneath the bandages. "Littlecloud fixed me up," he said unnecessarily, nodding to Lionstar.

"Good. I'll have to thank him for that tomorrow." He lifted his tail, leading the way into the den.

Most of the ShadowClan warriors were already tucked into thickly-made nests of feathers and pine needles, tails over noses. As the ThunderClan cats settled themselves into an unoccupied corner, Amberpaw saw more than one pair of hostile gleaming eyes glaring up at them.

She made sure that Hollypaw was snuggled deep into one of the nests before settling down herself, her eyes unconsciously seeking out Windfall.

"Rowanstar told us to bring you these." A tom with bright yellow eyes padded up, his mouth full of soft gray feathers. A tabby she-cat and a young apprentice stood just behind him, also carrying bundles of feathers and soft needles. "Downy feathers work best on cold nights like these."

"Thank you," Lionstar purred, standing up to divvy out the feathers. "Your kindness will not be forgotten."

The tom dipped his head and padded away to his own nest, followed closely by the she-cat and apprentice, who cast suspicious looks back at the ThunderClan cats.

"I guess that's to be expected," Spiderleg sighed, circling around and around before settling down.

"It'll be over soon," Rosefall grumbled, sending an equally suspicious glance over to the ShadowClan cats, all who had seemed to have scooted over against the far wall, leaving a bubble of space around the ThunderClan cats. "I can't wait to be able to scent again."

"I hope Graystripe knows what to do," Lionstar was murmuring to Cinderheart. "He's probably worried sick where we are."

"He can take care of the Clan," she assured him dully, sighing heavily. "It's not the Clan I'm thinking about."

Lionstar pressed close to her, trailing his tail across her flank comfortingly.

Amberpaw watched with a lump in her throat. _Redpaw, if you can hear me, keep watch over them, _she prayed, looking up and over to seek out Windfall's pale pelt.

_Can I trust him? _She immediately disregarded the question: She trusted him more than she trusted herself. _This is wrong, _she thought, returning her gaze to her paws. _I shouldn't be thinking this way—_feeling_ this way. Not about a cat from another Clan. When I saw him with Olivenose…_ She had felt a bolt of hot fury for reasons she couldn't explain.

She brought the picture up again in her mind, the way that the she-cat had trailed her tail down his flank…

Her teeth gritted.

_Why is it like this? _she railed. _I should be happy that he has a cat that obviously is padding after him. Maybe they'll become mates and have lots of pretty kits—warriors for his Clan. That would be good, wouldn't it?_

She tried to imagine it, to picture it in her mind: Tiny little versions of Windfall running around with their tails in the air. But the picture wouldn't come.

Frowning, she hazarded a glance over to the ShadowClan warriors. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the light brown pelt of Olivenose, curled close to a white cat.

"Hey."

The soft voice made her start. Snapping her gaze up, she saw Windfall standing right above her.

"Are you insane?" she hissed.

"Come here," he insisted. "I have to show you something."

"If I leave, my father will—"

"It'll only take a heartbeat," Windfall whispered. His eyes were shining.

She looked back over to the cat that Olivenose was lying next to. On further inspection, she saw that the cat had turned around in its sleep, and a dark splotch of brown marred its chest.

Feeling rather stupid, Amberpaw got to her paws, gently overstepping Hollypaw's curled tail. She almost got free when her paw knocked over a small pile of feathers, sending the fluffy things cascading down onto Hollypaw's nose.

Hollypaw twitched in her sleep, mumbled softly to herself before rolling over and sighing, her breathing becoming more even.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she padded out of the den, hesitantly peering around the corner.

"Here." Windfall's hissed call came from her direct side. The white tabby waved his tail. "Hey, I saw you couldn't sleep. Is it too weird being here?"

"Very weird," she responded, padding around to the clump of thorns Windfall had somehow managed to squeeze past. "What's this?"

"Part of the old medicine den," he responded, coming to sit next to her. "I had to come and see you. I couldn't stand you being mad at me." He sounded distinctly bewildered.

"Don't you think it's kind of stupid to do this right in the middle of your camp?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed. "This isn't the middle of the camp. More like the edge." When she didn't laugh, he frowned. "Something wrong?"

The image of Olivenose flashed in front of her eyes again. "No," she lied.

"Right," he murmured. "Your brother."

Ice colder than the storm outside flooded her chest. "He runs with StarClan now," she muttered brokenly, thinking back to what her mother had said.

Windfall sighed heavily. "It's always terrible when an apprentice joins before their time," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

_Skypaw. _The name that Windfall refused to mention drifted across her mind.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Windfall asked suddenly. He had some kind of eager look on his face, but something else was in his expression—something she couldn't place.

"Yes," she answered immediately.

Windfall crouched down, his ears pricked as if he was the one listening. "Once upon a time, there was an apprentice," he started in a low voice.

"A ShadowClan apprentice?" she teased.

"Of course." His voice lightened for a moment. "The apprentice was happy in his Clan. He had a brave warrior father and a beautiful warrior mother. His parents were in love, and the apprentice enjoyed every heartbeat he had with them.

"The apprentice didn't really talk to anyone else in his Clan, no one but a scrawny kit that no one expected anything of—a she-cat with gray fur and spots like white clouds. She was the youngest in her litter, the runt, and was only just big enough to be made an apprentice at the same time as the other apprentice, even though she was a moon older."

Windfall's eyes were distant. "The two apprentices were the best of friends, always getting into trouble with the elders for giving them stunned prey instead of fresh-kill, spilling moss balls across the camp, scattering the leaves the medicine cat gathered. The apprentice loved every single day that he had to spend with his best friend."

His claws gripped the ground. "Then one day, everything changed. When the apprentice was a moon into his training, something happened. A ThunderClan leader had come to power—a black she-cat with a pelt as dark as her mind. She brought tyranny to the forest, something that no cat had seen since the days of Tigerstar and his blood-thirsty rogues.

"She launched many battles, the first of which benefitted the apprentice's Clan, offering a way to divert the attention of the rival Clans so that ShadowClan could live on in its own territory unbothered."

_He's talking about Hollystar, _she realized with an intake of breath. She had never thought of asking Windfall about the previous ThunderClan leader, assuming that he was too young to remember.

"Then one day, there was a Gathering. The apprentice didn't get to go because he angered his leader, but his friend did. She had done the same crime as he did, but had gotten away with it. The apprentice expressed his jealousy to his friend, hating the fact that she got to go and he didn't. He was selfish and prideful, wanting to be the important one. He railed at his friend, angry that she had somehow weaseled her way out of punishment. He called her a faithless friend, too spineless to admit her guilt. She spat at him, not understanding why he was so angry. She snorted, rolling her eyes, and went with the rest of the patrol. The apprentice turned his back sullenly and didn't say goodbye." He closed his eyes. "Then she came back.

"She wasn't the same cat that had gone to that Gathering. No cat—not even the leader—was the same after that night. The apprentice couldn't understand it. 'Why?' he demanded furiously. 'Why are you being like this? What's the matter with you? Have you forgotten your pride?'

"The apprentice's friend said nothing, and her eyes were as unfocused as her thoughts. 'This is her will,' she said in a daze. 'The Leader's will. We are one Clan now.'

"'You're insane!' the apprentice cried, tired of the joke. 'Stop this! Don't you recognize me?'

"But the friend didn't listen. She padded over to her mentor—who had also been at that Gathering—and sat next to him mutely, not looking at anything.

"The next day, a cat from the leader's Clan showed up. A dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes. The apprentice could see that he too was one of the leader's mindslaves and wasn't responsible for his behavior. He had a backup of eight other warriors—all of the so-called Leader's Clan. They came through and took charge of the apprentice's Clan, taking over who did what in the territory. Even those who hadn't been at the Gathering showed the patrol their bellies."

"Even the apprentice?" Amberpaw asked tentatively. "Did he follow them, too?"

Windfall came out of his trance, as if surprised to hear her speak. "No," he said firmly. "He didn't. There was a rival faction splitting the Clan, led by a she-cat of his Clan. The group went into hiding in the skirting territory around the camp. They lived there for two moons, attacking any cat who trespassed on _their_ territory." He paused, fur bristling up on his back. "And then _he_ came."

"Who?" Amberpaw breathed.

"The deputy of the Leader," Windfall spat, snarling viciously. "The one that every cat feared—even those who hated him and wanted nothing more than to kill him couldn't stand in his presence without a chill down their spine.

"He came by himself, right into the heart of the territory. The apprentice watched him through the shadows and cracks in the barrier as he delivered a speech to the tabby tom in charge, telling him why the Leader had sent him. The apprentice couldn't believe his ears: the Leader knew about their plans.

"He raced back to the rest of the resisting cats, telling them what had happened. Every cats' fur was spiked with terror.

"'We have to hide,' the she-cat in charge whispered.

"'There's no time!' another cat—the apprentice's father—yowled, running over to his son. 'Come with me,' he ordered. 'We will get to safety!'

"But the idea of his best friend—the only friend he had in the world—being alone in the camp with _him _there terrified him. 'No,' he argued, tearing free of his father's grip. 'I have to save her!'

"He ran as fast as he could back to the camp, the rest of the cats pouring behind him, unwilling to let him leave by himself. They tore into the camp, screeching and yowling as they fell on the Leader's mindslaves. The apprentice fought his hardest, but he was only a three-moon apprentice and wasn't even fully grown. He slashed and hissed and ripped through any cat that got in his way, earning himself nothing more than torn fur and bruises."

"Then what?" Amberpaw asked, dread building in her belly. She could imagine the young apprentice fighting all of the older cats as if she was watching it herself.

"The apprentice's best friend came to defend not him, but the Leader's cats. 'Move,' she hissed, claws unsheathed. 'You're in my way.'

"But he couldn't do it. He couldn't raise a claw against his best friend. How could he even _think_ of such a thing? He dodged as she leapt for him, spinning and wheeling, wincing as her blows cut his skin and made him bleed.

"The apprentice's father came to his rescue, bundling away the she-cat with one blow, sending her tumbling into the thorn barrier. 'Get out of here,' he spat furiously. 'You can't handle yourself here! Get to safety!'

Windfall closed his eyes. "The apprentice wanted to save his friend—his best friend!—from the grips of the Leader. He followed her and confronted her, demanding to know why she had betrayed him, furious at her for being so weak. A sick pit formed in his stomach, making it hard to breathe as he once again was forced to battle against his friend.

"The apprentice, worn and exhausted, surrendered his pride for the sake of his friend, and let her blows rain down upon him.

"'Give up,' she hissed. 'The Leader's will is law!'

"'I'll never give up!' he snarled in return. 'Wake up! This isn't you! Don't you remember me? It's me: your best friend!'

"At his words, the apprentice seemed to recover herself. Her eyes became sharper, more focused, and she seemed confused. 'What…?'

"But at that moment, the deputy came over. Both apprentices turned to face him, fur bristling. With contempt on his face, the deputy swept his paws sideways, knocking the apprentice head-over-tail and sending his friend crashing face-first into a tree.

"The apprentice—foolish and arrogant—went straight for the deputy, slashing his claws through his fur. But the deputy was as strong as the stories told, and he simply swatted the apprentice away.

Amberpaw found herself hating this deputy with a burning fury.

"The deputy took his cats and left, coming back later for the wounded to bring to the Leader." Windfall's face was a mask of hatred—it made him look much older. "The apprentice was gone by then…and so was his friend. She died from her wounds."

Amberpaw gasped. "She…died?" she whispered. "Oh, Windfall…"

"Don't you understand now?" Windfall's eyes were fierce, piercing. "Do you understand why the apprentice hates ThunderClan?"

"And why he still does?" she murmured. "Windfall, I'm so, so sorry."

Still angry, Windfall got to his paws. "That's why I don't understand you, Amberpaw," he said harshly. "I don't understand why you can look in his face and love him."

"W-what?" She was startled. "Who are you talking about?"

"Do you not know your own Clan's history?" He sounded disbelieving, his pale eyes wide. "I can't understand why you pledge your loyalty to that…that monster! He killed Skypaw, don't you understand?" His voice was raising higher with each word. "And you…you look _so much _like him! I don't know how I—" He cut off abruptly, but didn't look away.

"Like who?" Amberpaw was on her paws now, angry for some reason she couldn't understand.

"Amberpaw," Windfall said, his voice now a whisper. "Amberpaw, I'm talking about the deputy of the Leader: your own father, Lionstar."

* * *

**Aaaw, angst. And Windfall. I happen to love that little furball, btw. And I picked out his name special~ Anybody know why the name is so special? :D:D**

**But now you get to see why he hates Lionstar so much, as he firmly repeats basically the whole length of the story so far. **

**Also, Happy New Year everyone~ I happen to actually have a resolution this year, and it is to finish my NaNoWriMo novel and submit it to publishing~ Hopefully (although unlikely) that will all go great!**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	23. Chapter 22

**This chapter's a midget. And that's an insult to midget chapters everywhere. D: I ran out of inspiration halfway through, and I'm writing on a crappy computer because apparently--news to me--gravity + laptop = TWO WEEKS TO FIX. So I'm typing on my mom's old laptop for now...on Microsoft Works...with a crappy keyboard...D: D: D:**

**But on the plus side, it is/was (depending on your timezone) my birthday today and I got me a DSi! -collective "heck yes!"- And get this: I can update my Facebook status from it! XD**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - Divvy means like pass out or divide. Like say you and I were sitting at a table and I had four cookies. I would divvy them out and give each of us two! :D:D Erm, well, you almost got a little piece of it...BUT I SHALL SAY NO MORE! :D:D Also, you should totally read Wuthering Heights because it is officially one of my favorite books EVER and I would write a fic for it if it wasn't already perfectly perfect. :P**

**GinnyStar - Thankies and Happy New Year to you, too! :D:D**

**violinlover71898 - Heehee! I know, right? I tried to make it really really obvious to save myself some typing later. You lazy writer, Shadow. :P I'm glad you like it! It shall get angstier soon--next chapter, actually. I have quite a dream planned out for dear Hollypaw. }:D**

**Icethroat21 - Haha! Good, good! See? I totally got observational skillz. -throws gang sign- Fo' sho'. **

**Lightkit - See? I told you there was a reason dear Windy hates Lionstar. A pretty darn good one, too, although slightly misconstrued since it's from his angsty, angry point of view, o' course. He's more likely to see things that weren't actually there, like all of "the deputy's" arrogant expressions or whatever the heck I said. :P I actually had to go back and reread some sections of Shattered to make sure it fit in right. ^.^'**

**Fwirl - Aaaaw, I know. I forgot to tell you about the laptop scare I had today. I went to Best Buy to get my Lappy fixed and then left, totally forgetting that they would possibly delete all of my information--including DO and all of my fics. So I had to drive all the way back up with my flashdrive and copy the info. ^.^'**

**xxSnowfirex - Snowy-chaaaaaaan! You have returned! S'all good, true enough. I hope everything's alright at home! I'm just glad that you review at all! I'm sure I've got some lurkers that read this fic and go, "Hm. That was a good chapter. -logs off-" PLEASE REVIEW, GUYS. I won't chop your heads off or burn you in effigy or something. :D:D **

**Please excuse/point out any typos you see, plz. ;)**

* * *

Redpaw winced. "That hurts," he complained, leaning away from Sophie's prodding paws.

"Sorry," she apologized, but didn't remove her paws. "I'm almost done. Your shoulder is ripped almost to the bone. I'm surprised you can even walk at all."

"Yeah, I'm all about surprises," he grumbled, laying his head back on his paws.

It had been three days--three long, never ending days--and he still hadn't been able to move from his position. The kittypets--loners, he corrected himself--seemed content to have him around, especially the kits. As much as he might like them, he craved to be back under the forest with the warm sun on his back and the scent of leaves in his nostrils. Instead, he was on his belly in a Twoleg pipe, eating food that someone else caught for him and getting yet another application of stinging, bitter-scented herbs to his ravaged shoulder.

He couldn't stand it.

"Has it scabbed over?" he asked worriedly. "Leafpool says that it's supposed to scab over."

"It's too deep of a wound for it to scab," Sophie told him in her gentle, patient voice. "It'll have to knit back together first. That means the muscle has to…twist back together." She was used to his ignorance of their Twoleg terms.

"Oh." Redpaw sighed heavily, wincing yet again as Sophie dabbed herbs against his painful wound.

She paused, leaning down to ruffle his whiskers with her breath. "Calm down, Redpaw. It'll heal, but only at nature's pace."

Redpaw scoffed. "That's not quick enough," he spat. "I need to be back with my Clan."

"You'll be back when your shoulder's better," Sophie spat back, pressing herbs against his wound harder than necessary.

Redpaw arched his back and hissed, stumbling to his paws resentfully. "I can go right now," he growled.

She stepped aside, her green eyes hard. "Go ahead," she mewed, ears flat. "Let's see how well you last if the foxes come back."

"October will take me home," he retorted.

"October's needed here." Sophie's eyes softened. "I can't hunt while the kits are so young. You know that, Redpaw."

Suddenly ashamed, Redpaw just swished his tail behind him, trying desperately to hide it. "Whatever."

"Come on now, scrap. You can help me watch the kits."

_Kit watching. I've been demoted from warrior apprentice to nursery-keeper. _He burned with fury at the thought.

He followed Sophie, stiff-legged, down the pipe until they reached the mouth of the hole. He peered down at the ground where the smudgy-gray pelt of October looked like a pile of ashes on the snowy ground, while the two tumbling kits blended in much easier.

"Redpaw!" Crescent shoved his sister off of his back and looked up witfh shining blue eyes. "Are you gonna play with us?"

"Maybe later," Redpaw responded, flinching as he thought of being thumped on by the pair of kits.

"Hey, Sophie." October nodded to his sister, whisking his tail for the kits to chase. "Up already, bud? You should be laying down with that bum shoulder of yours."

"It's fine," Redpaw mewed frostily.

"We're here to take over kit duty." Sophie leapt down from the pipe, dropping easily onto the ground despite her still shocking lack of tail. "How about you go and get some supper?"

"Alright, alright." October heaved himself to his paws, shaking out his fur. "I can take a hint. Whatcha want this time, hmm?"

"Anything you can get," Sophie purred, laying down for her kits to clamber over her.

"Wanna come with, bud? You feelin' up to it?"

Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but October cut her off.

"It's all good, Sophie. Redpaw can keep up. Can't you, bud?" October turned his blue eyes on Redpaw, some deeper meaning in the dark gaze.

"Er, sure." Redpaw scrambled to his paws, leaning off of his injured side. Wondering why the gray tom had decided to decide to bring him along for the first time, Redpaw stepped over to stand beside the older tomf. October usually went out by himself and brought back food, whether it be prey or some foul Twoleg thing. "See you later."

"Can't I come, too?" Winnie begged, running up to October, her tail in the air. "I can help!"

"No, scrap, you stay here with your mother. You and Crescent can protect her, alright?" October ruffled her ears with his muzzle affectionately.

"Right!" Crescent's eyes were shining with happiness. "Come on, Winnie, let's play apprentices! I'll be Redpaw, and you can be…er, Winniepaw!"

"I don't want to be Winniepaw," Winnie complained. "_I _want to be Redpaw!"

"Look," Redpaw interrupted. "If you want to play apprentices, you need your own names--not mine and not some made-up one. You can be Moonpaw and Winnie can be Snowpaw."

"Snowpaw!" Winnie repeated, looking excited. "That's an awesome name!"

"Moonpaw's better," Crescent shot back, tumbling into her and batting at her with tiny paws. "'Cause the moon's in the sky and the snow's on the ground!"

Rolling his eyes at the kits' antics, Redpaw limped after October, pushing himself to keep up. "Wait," he called out at last, as the gray tom's tail once again whisked out of view. "Wait for me!"

October stopped, turning around to look. "Keep up, won't you, bud? We've got some mouths to feed, y'know?"

Redpaw panted as he bustled to keep up, wincing with every step. Pain lanced up his forepaw as he tripped over a rock, sending himself sprawling on the ground. "Did you have to pick this place to hunt?" he hissed, getting his paws underneath him. "It's just a little bumpy."

"I picked it on purpose." October stopped, turning around and sitting down in front of Redpaw, his eyes solemn.

"What?" Redpaw flopped down, exhausted. "Are you serious?"

"For more than three days, you've been nothing but stubborn and unappreciative," October stated calmly, ignoring the immediate hiss of denial from Redpaw. "Sophie and I are bending over backwards for you--keeping you warm and your wound clean--and you've done nothing but complain. I have to do three cats' worth of stuff for her and the kits, and I don't need some bratty little nipper to snark at us every time we mention the forest or your family. You get me, bud?"

Redpaw looked down at his paws, embarrassed but angry. _Who is he to patronize me? _he railed.

More gently now, October added, "I know you miss 'em, bud--I understand that--but being grouchy to us isn't gonna do you a lick of good. You better shape up or you're gonna lose out on a nice little spot to rest, get it?"

Ashamed, Redpaw dipped his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I…I didn't know that I was being that…stupid."

"Well, you were," the tom said helpfully. "So now that you know, we can put this whole thing behind us, hmm?" He cuffed Redpaw hard over the ears with a forepaw.

"Ow!" Redpaw batted at his ear with a paw. "What'd you do that for?"

"That's how I show affection," October teased. "Now, let's get to huntin', shall we? Better catch us some good grub, or I'll disown ya, bud."

"Wow!" Winnie exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked up at Redpaw. "Did you catch that?"

"Nope!" October put in before Redpaw could say anything. He batted the rabbit with one paw. "I caught it by surprise. Look at the white pelt, scrap: that means that the cold season's gonna last for a lot longer."

"Why's that?" Redpaw asked curiously, offering the best part of the rabbit to Sophie. _Sorry, _he said with his eyes, hoping she would see it.

The ginger she-cat blinked slowly, and he knew she understood.

"Well, the pelt's brown in the warm season," October explained, motioning to the snowy pelt. "It turns white to blend in. Kinda like you, scrap." He nudged Crescent with one paw, nearly overturning the kit.

"It's great," Sophie praised. "You two did great."

"I didn't do anything," Redpaw admitted. "I just went along."

"No, you kept October company." Sophie lowered her voice as her brother sliced up portions of meat for the kits to chew. "I think he misses having another tom around to talk to. He gets lonely, even if he doesn't want to admit it. It can't be much fun to be burdened with his sister and her kits."

"He doesn't think of it like that," Redpaw protested.

"I know he doesn't. He's a good brother, he is. One day, he'll find a she-cat and have his own family. He'll be a great father."

Redpaw looked at the gray tom, his eyes bright as he ate his portion with quick bites. He couldn't imagine October ever wanting to leave his sister. _Is that what I'll be like one day? Playing with Amberpaw's and Hollypaw's kits when they find mates? _he wondered. _Will I have kits of my own? _The thought filled him with a happy bubble of joy.

_If I ever get back, that is, _he added darkly, spoiling his happy mood.

"Here, dear," Sophie said distractedly, pushing a leg of the rabbit over to him. "You need to eat up and get well."

Redpaw started at her affection. She called him the same as she called her own kits! She's barely even known him for three days and she was already letting him into her family. "T-thank you," he purred, taking a bite of the still-warm rabbit.

"Make sure you eat all of it," Winnie added cheerfully. "Lots of good meat helps you grow!"

"I'm perfectly grown," Redpaw protested, fur bristling.

"Yeah right," she scoffed, chewing another mouthful of rabbit. "You're just a bit bigger than me, and you're _loads _older!"

"Oh yeah? How old _are _you two?"

"Um…" Crescent tilted his head. "We're…eight months old? Isn't that right, Mother?"

"Yes, dear," Sophie purred.

Redpaw felt a dull blow to his belly. _Two moons, _he thought. _Two moons younger than me and they're already my size. This is a pretty low blow._

"Redpaw, why do you say 'moons' for time?" Winnie asked curiously.

"Er, well, that's how I was taught," Redpaw explained, licking his lips as he swallowed the last of his meal. "Every full moon, all four Clans meet beneath the Great Oak for one night of peace before StarClan."

"_Four _Clans?" Crescent echoed.

Winnie just frowned. "StarClan? Is that like ThunderClan? Do they live near you?"

The question was so absurd that Redpaw actually laughed, feeling light and free for the first time in days. "No, no," he chuckled. "StarClan is in the sky." He flicked his tail to the top of the pipe. "They live in the stars. Or so they say," he added at the end.

"What, you don't believe it?" October yawned, stepping over to his nest and curling his tail over his nose. "Cats in the sky?" He scoffed, eyes shut.

"Some cats need something to believe in, October," Sophie said gently.

"Do _you _believe it?" Crescent looked skeptical, but Winnie looked truly curious.

"I don't know," Redpaw admitted. "Probably not."

"It does seem kinda weird," Crescent said dismissively, flopping onto his side, his little belly distended from all the meat he had gobbled down.

"I think it's cool," Winnie huffed. "Are there stories? Can you tell us?" She stepped closer and sat down in front of him, her head tilted to the side.

"Er, what?"

"Tell us a ThunderClan story!" she chirped. "About the Clan!"

Crescent pulled himself into a sitting position, the light of curiosity--or maybe nosiness--shining in his blue eyes. Even October blinked open one eye to look.

"It'll help them to sleep," Sophie put in, curling her tail around her paws. "But you must lay down and listen."

"But, Mother!" Winnie protested, but was silenced by a frosty look from her mother.

"Now. Go on." Sophie shooed her kits towards their nests, standing over them until they curled into tiny fluffy white balls of fur. She nodded to Redpaw.

"Um…what kind of story do you want to hear?" Redpaw padded over and lay down on his own nest--closer to the sooty firespot now that the fear of the crackling flames had left him--curling his paws under his chest.

"A battle!" Crescent said at once.

"No," Winnie protested. "A StarClan story!"

"Ooh, that works for me!" Crescent chirped, flicking his little tail from side to side. "Come on, Redpaw! Tell us!"

"Okay. StarClan story it is." Redpaw frowned down at his paws, wondering what story he should tell them. _I don't really know any StarClan stories, _he thought. _I guess I could make one up…but that doesn't seem right. _"They say that if a proud, brave warrior is killed in battle, he'll be sent to StarClan," he started. "StarClan's territory has running streams and plentiful prey, everlasting green-leaf--warm season--and is full of our ancestors. When a warrior dies, the cat that was closest to them in life comes down from the stars and guides them up into the silver hunting lands. The medicine cat and the leader of each Clan sometimes gets messages from StarClan when the warrior ancestors are worried about us."

Crescent's eyes were closed, as were Sophie's. October's soft snores were already filling the small pipe.

Redpaw sighed softly. "They say that there's no hunger or cold in StarClan, no thirst or fear either. It's a perfect place--a paradise." _Is it really, though? If I die here, will I join my warrior ancestors in the stars? Does it really even exists anyway or is it just a bunch of stories?_

Winnie looked fascinated, her fur fluffed with excitement. "Is it true?" she whispered. "Is it really true?"

Redpaw hesitated. "Do _you _think it's true?" he hedged.

Winnie paused, too, seeming to think it over. "I think I do," she said at last.

Laughing softly, Redpaw rested his chin on his paws. _You have more faith than I do, then, _he said silently. "Well, whatever you want."

"It's not because you're here that you don't believe, is it?" she asked in a soft voice.

Considering that, Redpaw frowned. "I'm not really sure anymore," he admitted. "I didn't really think about it before now, to tell you the truth."

Winnie didn't seem to like that. "Well, I believe in them," she said firmly.

Tired of the talk, he grumbled, "And why's that?"

Winnie looked rather embarrassed. "Because I believe in them _because _you're here."

Redpaw's pelt felt hot suddenly. "Why do you say that?"

She scuffed her paws in her neststuff. "It's just because…well, I dunno. We were in a tough spot with the cold season coming on. Mother and Uncle were really nervous that…that we couldn't make it through the snow by ourselves. Mother can't hunt because of her heart, you see."

"Her heart?"

Winnie nodded, casting a glance over shoulder at the tailless she-cat. "She's got a weak heart. Uncle told me in secret that having us nearly killed her. She's never really recovered. She tries to pass it off by saying she needs to watch us, but I think she treats us like little kits so we won't leave her. She's terrified that Uncle's already going to leave her alone with us and find his own family. I don't want to put anymore stress on her. Crescent…well, he still is a little kit. Or at least he acts like one," she amended.

Redpaw just stared at her. Had this kit--no, he corrected himself, _she-cat--_been this wise and thoughtful the whole time he'd known her?

"She likes to think of us as her little kits, so we kinda…act the part." She shrugged her snowy shoulders. "I think that StarClan must have sent you to us to help us. Even if you don't," she added quickly, as if he was going to interrupt, "I _do _believe in them." She seemed to start a little. "Thank you for telling me about them; it really is fascinating. Good night." She turned around in that same instant, curling her tail over her nose.

Redpaw just blinked confusedly for a few more heartbeats before turning around and settling in his own nest. _They really are older than they act, _he thought. _Maybe I should suggest to Sophie that they help with hunting tomorrow; they're far old enough to be lending a paw with the prey gathering around here. _Yawning widely, he closed his eyes and almost immediately was engulfed in the dark wave of sleep.

* * *

**Bluuuuuur, it's really cold outside, guys. I'm freezing just sitting here typing. D: **

**Anyhoo, Happy New Year everyone~ (in case I didn't say that before) And happy back to school! I, myself, am not back to school until Monday, but others -coughcoughFwirlcoughcough- had to go back today, lucky ducks. }:D**

**Haha!**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	24. Chapter 23

**Here's the trippy dream I mentioned in my last AN! :D:D Yaaaay!**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - I like my chapters to be at least 4K in length so I get in lots and lots of detail. Heehee, I know, right? His being gone will create glorious amounts of angst later--trust me. }:D -gasp- You've been a lurker? XD You should have reviewed before now, dear AAP-chan! Haha, no, Redpaw's shoulder isn't that bad, but it's bad enough so that he's gonna be laid up for a while. :D:DAaaaaw, cute kitteh~ I wish I had one, but my mom and dad are both allergic. How crappish is that? D:**

**WildCroconaw - Yeah, he was kinda a jerk. But October set him straight~! I like October, too. He reminds me of someone's grouchy old grandpa, even though he's really not very old. :P Heehee! You'll see the answers for the rest in time~~**

**xxSnowfirexx - Thankies~ I went back and fixed most of the bigger mistakes (pointed out by Fwirly-kohai :P) but I'm sure there's still a few. But that's what happens when you watch TV and write at the same time. XD Aaaaw, I shall be sad, too, but I won't be returning for another one. I'm kinda tired of Warriors, to be honest, and wanna focus on other fics with human characters. XD Cats are so limited what with the whole having no thumbs thing. ;)**

**Icethroat21 - Meep! You win on the cold scale! Today, the high was 50 here, but it broke a few local cold records this morning. THERE WAS EVEN ICE! XDD -is extremely excited- I watched the weather today and it said there might even be snow flurries, like ACTUAL SNOW! XDDDDDDD Hm...how about, "Smashing chapter, old bean!" XD**

**violinlover71898 - Heehee! Inorite? I dislike writing grouchy characters unless they're cool grouchy like Jayfeather. Redpaw was being a whiner--and I probably would in his position, too--but now he is grand. XD Was this update soon enough~? ;) **

**Lightkit - Aaaw, well the weekend is only a few days away! Then you can sleep in forevers, yeah? ;) I do love that little Winnie. She's named after a turtle my science teacher had in my seventh grade class way back yonder ago in the good ol' days. XD **

**Fwirleh - Ha ha ha _hahaha. _I try. I like to try out my evil laugh sometimes, but that doesn't work too well over the computer. You shall have to imagine it now. Here. -manical laugh- There you go. ;) **

**On to the story!**

* * *

Hollypaw knew she was dreaming.

She was standing in a meadow, the green-leaf sun warming the gray fur of her back while she stared out at the wide expanse before her, a feeling of intense relief flooding through her for reasons she couldn't understand. Every pawstep of the grassy plain was filled with brilliant red poppies, the fiery blossoms seeming blurred somehow to her vision, as if she was looking at them through a haze of heat.

"Hollypaw!"

Hollypaw turned to see Redpaw standing behind her, his blue eyes shining.

"Let's play!" he mewed. His voice echoed slightly as if he was calling from somewhere far away, lifting in unexpected places.

Hollypaw felt a surge of happiness at seeing him. She bounded over to him, pressing her way through the long-stemmed poppies to stand beside him.

"There's mice over here, Hollypaw," Redpaw said, sounding as if he was underwater. "Let's catch some!"

"Okay!" she agreed readily. "I bet I can catch more than you!"

"No way!" he laughed, leaping forward ahead of her to dash through the poppies.

Hollypaw followed after him, feeling like she was running slower than usual. The green-leaf sun shone down warmly on them both as they laughed and ran through the flowers, pouncing at mice halfheartedly as they poked their noses out of the grass.

As much as she loved being here, something was off about this warm, perfect place--something she couldn't quite place.

"This way!" Redpaw called, veering towards higher ground. "You can see the water from here!"

Hollypaw bounded up beside him, not even panting from her exertions. "Wow," she breathed, looking out over the shivering field of red poppies. They moved and bobbed in the slight breeze as if they were alive.

"Look there." Redpaw pointed with his nose. "There's the stream!"

Turning to follow his gesture, Hollypaw let out a murmur of awe as she saw the thin silver stripe that bisected the meadow. "I wonder if there are fish," she thought aloud.

"Let's go see!" Redpaw crowed, dashing down the side of the hill and towards the water, leaving Hollypaw to follow.

"There are!" she exclaimed, scrabbling with one paw at the surface of the gleaming water, now turned a bright orange from the setting sun. "Let's catch some!"

For a good while, the two littermates played in the water, not really catching any fish, but simply enjoying the fun of no rules and no responsibilities. Hollypaw knew that the day was going to come to an end soon, and she'd be sent back to the real wakening world where Redpaw was still gone, and she'd have to pretend that she was fine, that she was okay with the fact that her little brother was dead.

"I've got one," Redpaw grunted, struggling with a shiny silver beast of a fish, one set of claws firmly fastened in its gleaming scales.

Hollypaw hurried over to grasp it in her jaws, heaving backwards until the fish came flying out of the water, creating an arc of drops that seemed to hang in the air longer than usual. They caught the light amazingly, sending a rainbow of colors onto the ground at her paws.

"Wow," Redpaw mewed appreciatively. "I bet it will be good eating, huh?"

"You bet?" she scoffed. "Let's eat it and find out, little mouse!"

But instead of hotly protesting like he normally would have, Redpaw just laughed cheerfully and shrugged it off. "Alright! You can have the first bite!"

"You caught it," she protested. "You should have the first bite."

He faltered just long enough for Hollypaw to catch it. "Okay." He leaned forward and took a huge mouthful, straightening to announce through the fish, "It's delicious!"

Hollypaw cocked her head slightly, then bent her head to take a bite. The fish felt cold on her tongue, extremely unlike the warm meat of a freshly-killed mouse. It was still delicious, filling her belly with a numbing icy feel that was rather off-putting. She drew back, drawing her tongue over her lips a few times.

"What?" Redpaw looked up, confused. "Don't you like it?"

"No, it's fine," she assured him, yawning widely. "I've just become tired all of a sudden."

"So you don't want to play anymore?" Redpaw's tail drooped pitifully.

"No, let's play all day long!" Hollypaw leapt forward and batted at his ear, leaping away to run once again through the poppies.

- - -

Even once the sun had set behind the horizon, Hollypaw didn't want to sleep. Exhaustion made her paws drag until she was tripping over them, stumbling more than once.

"We should sleep. Come this way: there's a perfect spot!" Redpaw, still cheerful and full of energy, waved his tail towards an overhanging ledge that jutted from the side of the hill.

"Is it safe?" she asked hesitantly, peering inside the dark space.

Redpaw just turned to stare at her. "There's no danger here," he mewed softly, his voice echoing just slightly.

"Is this StarClan?" But even as she asked the question, she remembered all of the stories that Cinderheart and the elders had told her about the starry plain. Besides, wouldn't there be other cats here?

"Come inside," Redpaw called, ignoring her question. "It gets cold here."

"Have you been here long?" she asked, deciding to play along.

"It feels like an eternity," he murmured, so softly that Hollypaw wasn't sure she was supposed to hear. "Here's your nest." He nudged a pile of downy feathers with his nose. "It's nice and soft."

Hollypaw obediently padded over to it and curled up, but not closing her eyes until Redpaw settled into his own nest.

"Isn't this fun?" he asked her, eyes bright in the gloom. "We can play all day tomorrow, too! And the day after that!"

"Don't you want to get back to the Clan?" she asked him, but he seemed not to hear, laying his head down and closing his eyes.

"Good night, Hollypaw," he murmured, his breathing immediately becoming slow and even.

Hollypaw just stared, blinking. "Good night, Redpaw," she whispered, flicking her tail over her nose and closing her eyes.

A sudden hissing sound awoke her.

Blinking open her eyes, she saw that it was much later. The moon hung full and heavy in the sky, shining pure white light down upon the poppy field, making it look like a red mist hung low over the grass. Redpaw was still beside her, also awake, with a strange look on his face.

"Did you hear that?" she asked him.

"It's probably nothing," he mewed soothingly. "Go back to sleep, Hollypaw."

But she had already gotten to her paws, ears straining towards the sound. Now that she was paying closer attention, it sounded like whispering, coming from a corner of the meadow where the trees grew thick and clustered together.

"Hollypaw, where are you going?" Redpaw called after her. "There's nothing fun to do out there now."

"I want to see it," she told him, jaw set. _It sounds just like my other dream, _she thought, pushing her way through the poppies. _The one with the cat that told me Amberpaw was in trouble. _

"It's dangerous out here, Hollypaw!" Redpaw bounded up beside her, his expression angry…and fearful.

"It won't take long." The trees had almost formed a tunnel of sorts, their thickly-leaved limbs weaving together above their heads, filtering the moonlight down on the ground.

Redpaw stopped suddenly. "Don't go!" he wailed.

She turned around to look at him, just at the edge of the trees. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Don't leave me here by myself," he whispered fervently. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Her heart plummeted. The whispering grew louder behind her, seeming to form words now. "Come…Holly…here."

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly, turning her back on her brother. _This is just a dream, _she told herself. _Just a dream. _

"Don't go!" he repeated, his voice heartbreaking.

Hollypaw set her jaw firmly, and took one step into the forest.

"No!" Redpaw's scream split the air, shattering the peaceful forest.

"Redpaw!" She whirled around just in time to see his form dissipate like smoke in the wind, only his terrified blue eyes lasting for a heartbeat longer. "Redpaw!" she screeched again, running away from the whispering forest and back towards the ledge they had slept beneath.

The sky overhead had gone a hazy red, the moon itself looking like a circle dipped in blood. The poppies--instead of being beautiful and delicate--now looked sinister, pressing against her pelt, sharp as thorns.

"Redpaw!" she cried again, looking in the small cave.

Two gleaming eyes met her gaze evenly.

"Redpaw," she sighed, relieved. "Don't--"

The eyes moved towards her, a shadow body coalescing around it. It was a fox, jaws slavering and teeth bared.

Hollypaw let out a yowl of pure terror and turned tail, racing back through the dark poppies and to the last spot that she had seen Redpaw, sniffing around desperately for any trace of his scent.

"Hollypaw, come here." The whispers had grown louder, and a light shone out of the forest. "Come to me."

Without another thought, Hollypaw plunged down the pathway, dodging patches of fire that spouted from holes in the ground. Her fur on edge and barely even breathing, she ran down the path as quickly as she could, even her shallow terrified breaths sounding like a crashing waterfall in her ears.

She reached the end of the trail: a small clearing no bigger than the medicine den at ThunderClan's camp. A boulder jutted out of the center like a claw from the ground, and on top of the rock sat a cat.

"Who…who are you?" Hollypaw rasped out, her heart still hammering with horror and fear.

The cat--a black she-cat with green eyes--simply stared at her. "Is this not the paradise you imagined?" she murmured. "It looked like it, didn't it? Even sounded and smelled like it. But it was all a lie."

Hollypaw just stared at her like an idiot. "What?"

"This place," the she-cat mewed, leaping down from the boulder to stand in front of Hollypaw, "is what you imagined it to be, is it not? You know this is a dream, and yet, you couldn't help yourself but to add in your brother, could you?"

Hollypaw bared her teeth at her. "Who are you to question me?" she spat. "And why are you even here?"

"Sometimes, peace isn't the best thing, Hollypaw." The she-cat narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "No matter what you try to do or what you fight to protect, one day everything you worked for will be gone. Dust on the wind."

"Who are you?" Hollypaw demanded again.

The she-cat sat down right in front of Hollypaw and raised her head. "I am a leader of ThunderClan," she said proudly. "Your leader, your kin…and your namesake. My name is Hollystar, and I'm here to give a warning."

Hollypaw felt her mind go blank. _Hollystar? This is Hollystar? _"You came to me from StarClan?" she asked confusedly.

Hollystar shook her head. "No, I came for myself. I don't take orders from StarClan."

"How can that be?" Hollypaw challenged. "Don't you belong to them?"

Hollystar blinked. "Well, this puts my plans back," she muttered. "How much do you know about me?"

"Not much," Hollypaw admitted, sitting down heavily and trying not to think of the fact she was talking to a dead cat--it was all just part of the dream. _Hopefully._ "Lionstar refuses to talk about you, and neither does Jayfeather."

"Lionstar doesn't, hmm?" The former leader said the name of her brother with something close to satisfaction.

Ignoring this, Hollypaw asked, "So you don't live in StarClan?"

"No." Hollystar's green eyes darkened. "I don't. I live by myself. In between."

"In between what?"

"In between the light and the shadow," Hollystar said softly. "Between this world and the one after, never really belonging in either." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is _that_. Do you see that?" She flicked her tail towards the moon.

Hollypaw craned her head back to stare up at the blood-red face of the moon. "It's just a dream."

"Wrong. It is a sign."

"A sign for what?"

"Not for you," Hollystar said cryptically. "All I need is for you to remember it."

"Why did you ruin my dream?" Hollypaw burst out, hating how kit-like she felt. "Why did you make Redpaw leave?"

"Redpaw exists only as a figment of your imagination," Hollystar said coldly. "He was only part of your dream."

"Isn't he in StarClan?"

"How would I know that?" the leader snapped. "Do you have wool in your ears?"

"You aren't very nice for a ThunderClan leader," Hollypaw growled. "You'd think you'd be nicer."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you. No one in the Clan liked me either, and that didn't stop me."

"Stop you from what?"

Hollystar stopped, tail flicking. "Interesting," she said finally, ears tilted back. "Very interesting."

"What is?" Hollypaw demanded, not feeling any warmth towards her father's sister.

"Your ignorance. I can tell you aren't faking. You really don't know anything about me."

"Lionstar doesn't like anyone to talk about you," Hollypaw put in. "So they don't."

"Ah, Lionstar. He is good to me even now." Hollystar's eyes were unfocused, as if she was imagining something.

Fury coursed through Hollypaw. "So you ruined my dream--not to mention giving me reason for even _more _nightmares--and now you're wasting my time even now. Goodbye, Hollystar." She turned around to walk away but found that the way out was now blocked by more fire. Wondering whether or not she could leap over it, a surge of fire lanced across the ground, singing her paws with a lick of flame. She yelped, stamping out her smoldering fur.

"I make the rules, apprentice," Hollystar growled from behind her. "You will leave when I allow it."

"You're not the Clan leader anymore," she spat back, circling the small clearing, searching for a way out. "You don't have any power over me or anyone else. You're dead!"

"I know that, idiot," Hollystar snarled. "You think I'm unaware of the fact I am powerless here? It's just as in life--I didn't really have any power then, either. It was all an illusion."

_Way to be a downer, _Hollypaw thought savagely. "Let me leave. Please," she added at the end, remembering that beside her snappishness, Hollystar was still a former leader.

"No." The black she-cat's voice was flat. "I have some tasks for you."

"Oh?"

"I have not been strong enough to visit the dreams of my brother yet. I'm still learning about their dark ways since they're growing in power as we speak. I want you to tell him something for me. Something that only he would know." She got to her paws and began to pace, walking close enough to the fire for Hollypaw to want to call for her to watch out. But the flames simply parted for her, as if she were made of water.

Hollypaw waited impatiently, tail flicking and ears flat, while the older she-cat thought.

"Tell him this." She wheeled to face Hollypaw, her eyes wide and excited; Hollypaw drew back, unnerved by her sudden change in emotion. "Tell him that Silverblaze says hello."

"Who's Silverblaze?" Hollypaw demanded.

"You don't need to know that. The point is that Jayfeather _will._"

Hollypaw blinked. She didn't know that Hollystar had been talking about _Jayfeather; _she had assumed that she meant Lionstar. "And why would I tell him that?" she mewed belligerently. "Why don't you tell him yourself?"

Hollystar looked down at her sourly. "You get a dream from a former leader of your Clan and you ask me to go to someone else?" She paused, looking Hollypaw up and down critically. "You are very much your father's daughter."

"Thanks," Hollypaw mewed frostily, raising her chin proudly.

"That wasn't a compliment," the black she-cat responded in a sigh. "Anyway, it's time to go. Remember what I said."

"Wait!" Hollypaw cried, as the older cat turned to go. "Tell me how you died!"

Hollystar blinked in surprise. "You don't know?" she asked in a low voice. "It looks like I underestimated him."

"Who?" Hollypaw was getting tired of all of the secrets. "Please tell me."

"That's a story for another day." The former ThunderClan leader inclined her head to Hollypaw. "It was nice meeting you, Hollypaw. I hope we don't speak again." With those parting words, Hollystar nodded once more and vanished.

Hollypaw gasped, opening her eyes to see Amberpaw standing over her looking concerned.

"I said, 'Are you alright?'" Amberpaw mewed.

"I'm fine," Hollypaw panted, getting to her paws and shaking scraps of moss out of her fur. "I have to speak with Jayfeather."

Amberpaw's expression softened. "Are you going to get some herbs at last?" she asked gently.

Hollypaw felt a shot of anger. Amberpaw had been on her back for the past three days to go and get some herbs to take her mind off of Redpaw. "No," she almost snarled. "I have to ask him a question."

"Oh." Amberpaw seemed disappointed. "Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm not a kit, Amberpaw," Hollypaw exploded. "I can walk to the medicine den without you holding my paw!"

Taken aback, her sister's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Sorry I asked."

Cursing internally, Hollypaw just shrugged past her and out into the clearing. The Clan was as busy as ever, not seeming to care about Redpaw, even though his absence grated against her heart like a thorn with every beat.

She didn't have time to deal with Amberpaw's fussiness--not today. Hollystar had given her strict instructions and they had to be followed or else.

She almost stopped, questioning her own thoughts. _Or else what? _she demanded of herself. _Or else some stupid she-cat's not going to talk to me? Whatever. _

"Jayfeather?" she called, pushing her way into the den. "Are you here?"

"To what do I owe this surprise?" The gray tabby tom lifted his head from the herbs he was mashing into a poultice. "Blood gushing? A bone sticking out?"

"No," she hissed. "I have something to tell you. A dream."

His ears pricked. "If it involved anything to do with your brother, it's probably--"

"Can you let me speak before you go on with your guessing? It'll be a lot quicker."

Jayfeather frowned for a moment and then chuckled. "You reminded me of someone for a heartbeat there," he explained.

"Who?" she asked impatiently. "Hollystar? She _is _kind of abrasive."

That got his attention. She felt a surge of satisfaction with the look of pure shock on his face. "What…? Don't make up stories, Hollypaw. I'm not in the mood for another tall tale."

"It's not. I had a dream yesterday night." She lowered her voice, peering over her shoulder into the clearing. "Hollystar came to me."

"What did she look like?" he demanded, suspicious.

"Black. She had green eyes. And she was really bossy."

Jayfeather still looked disbelieving. "What did she tell you?"

"She told me to tell you that Silverblaze says hello." She watched as his blue eyes went even wider.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"It's true. She told me that she sent me the dream, but it wasn't _for _me."

"Tell me about the dream," he ordered, motioning for her to come sit by him.

Sitting down, Hollypaw proceeded to tell him every detail she could remember, leaving Redpaw out of it. If the nosy medicine cat heard that, he would insist on giving her herbs that she didn't need and didn't want.

"So she told you about the red moon?" Jayfeather asked finally, looking over her shoulder instead of in her eyes, like he was concentrating hard on visualizing it.

"Yes," she mewed.

Jayfeather nodded vaguely, his brow furrowed. "StarClan also showed me a dream," he began, but Hollypaw cut him off.

"She told me StarClan didn't send this dream: she did. She said she didn't belong with StarClan…that she was _between _something."

Jayfeather gasped softly, and Hollypaw realized that she had never seen him look stunned before. "So…you know?" he asked tentatively.

"Know what?"

"About Hollystar…her life? How she died?"

"No." Hollypaw shook her head. "She didn't tell me any of that. She only said that it was strange that no one knew and that she knew he would stay faithful to her."

Jayfeather's expression soured. "More out of his own guilt than affection," he spat.

"Who are you talking about?" she demanded. "Don't you think I deserve to know? After all, I'm involved in this now."

"Later." He got to his paws, cutting off her angry protests. "For now, all I want you to do is tell me if she comes to you again."

"Fine," she mewed bitterly, walking over to the exit. "Wait, Jayfeather," she called back, suddenly remembering something. "Hollystar also told me that she hasn't been strong enough…that she's learning 'their dark ways.' 'That 'they're growing in power as we speak.' Do you know who she was talking about?"

Jayfeather blinked in shock, his jaw dropping open just slightly. "Yes," he mewed stiffly. "It means that every single one of us are all in very real danger."

* * *

**I based this dream off of a ENTIRELY amazing game I just recently played. I'm gonna see if any of you guess, but I'm sure probably most of you are too young to play it. ^.^' But I adored it. **

**And I filled in the gaps of this dream yesterday at like two in the morning when my power went out. It was pitch black and silent and scary and I sat in my room, wide awake, and freaked myself out repeatedly by imagining things that weren't there. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. I hate it when there's no fan noise. I absolutely cannot sleep without the sound of a fan.**

**But I digress.**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	25. Chapter 24

**Heeeeeeeeey, guys! I'm baa~aack! **

**So, I ended up entering the contest for Amazon with my completed novel. You have no idea how relieved I am to get that done and get back to this. XD Thanks for all the well-wishing~**

**Also, I have changed my penname, so this is indeed Shadow still. XD I've been on FFnet for a year now, so I figured it was about time for a change. :D**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - I LOVE poppies. They're totally my favorite flower EVER. Yup yup, Hollystar's not strong enough...yet. :D Ouch. I have to say, I've never broken anything, but two years ago, I passed out at school and sprained both my knees and my right wrist. That totally wasn't fun, especially when you have to write a lot. =\ And heck yes did I make Hollystar scary on purpose! XD**

**Lightkit - I know what will become of this...ANGST. XDf**

**xXSnowfireXx - Aaaw. -blushes- You're so nice. I love to add in all those little bits of details and stuffs. If you wanna look into it, you should totally check out NaNoWriMo for novel-writing. It really gives you a kick in the butt to write something long. XD I actually think that this one's gonna end in maybe five more chapters or so. I'm kinda getting tired of all these kitties. XD**

**Icethroat21 - Hear, hear, old bean! :D YES! And with these similarities, we shall one day rule the world! :D:D Or not. XD **

**violinlover71898 - Haha, I know, right? :P Well, Hollystar was one bossy little furball. **

**Fwirl - I did indeed, kohai. I did indeed. Also, you just lost the game. :D**

**Oh, and the dream from the last chapter? Totally based on the most amazing game ever: Fable 2. DO NOT look up the music box theme. DO NOT. **

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Days passed. Nights passed. The moon went through its everlasting cycle as normal, unfeelingly watching down over the Clans, ignorant to the struggles of those below.

Amberpaw shivered as a gust of wind nearly blew her off-balance, the cold air blasting down from the mountains that loomed above her formidably. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down at the place ahead of her: a simple dip in the ground, clawed out of the earth by the unending rasp and scrape of the wind and sand.

A feeling of something close to relief flooded her chest as she stepped delicately down to the empty pool's edge, the thin moss crunching underneath her paws. Ever since the fight so many moons ago, something nagged at the edge of her mind, like a fly that refused to budge. In the past moons, she had suffered from nightmares of this place, dark twisted images of shadows that stalked after her and stars that glimmered down coldly from the sky. Fire rained from the sky in her dreams, scorching the ground into unrecognizable heaps of ash and blackened stone.

Sleepless and unspeaking now, she stopped at the edge of the stony dip, perking her ears to attention as she heard the rasping gurgle of water bubbling in the hole in the center.

The scent that came from the water was both revolting and alluring, capturing her full attention. She found herself wondering what it tasted like, what it would feel like coursing down her parched throat and into her belly. Would it be as icy as the leaf-bare snow that had just begun to recede? Would it burn her like the fire she was haunted by?

She swallowed hard, not knowing what she would do now that she was here. She found her eyes closing, her legs collapsing underneath her as a black wave of sleep overtook her.

Blinking open her eyes, she found herself staring at the shimmering ball of colored light that had first visited her. Terror coursed through her veins, burning through her dull curiosity like a wildfire. "This is all your fault!" she screamed at it, her voice breaking. "Everything that's happened to me— Redpaw being gone, my mind falling to pieces, my friends avoiding me—it's all because of _you_! I don't know who I am! I feel _nothing_ anymore! What do you want from me?!"

The orb coalesced into a catlike shape, long-legged and agile with glowing iridescent eddies of color wavered through its eyes, swirling hypnotically. "Be strong, Amberpaw," it commanded in its multiple voices. "We are still in need of your services."

"I don't care!" she cried, backing up. "I don't care what _you_ want, what _you_ need! Just leave me alone! I don't want to do this—I don't want to die."

She gasped, fighting for breath. She had finally said it out loud. What she had been dreading, making her heart and mind sick…it was finally said. Put out in the open.

"I don't want to die," she repeated bitterly. "I don't want to die."

The brilliantly-colored cat listened through her protesting politely, not saying anything. Its shimmering fur kept changing patterns, images floating through the light: running water, black-and-white fur, falling leaves, a cat's amber eyes.

"Please," she whispered, begging. "Please don't make me do this."

"You do not know what you must do," it said calmly, eyes burning icy-blue. "You will not know until it confronts you."

"What are you?" she demanded, trembling. "Don't you think you owe me that much?"

The cat tilted its head to the side. "If you knew what we were, would it change anything? Would you refuse to help us, or would you leap to our aid? If you knew the truth, nothing would change: your destiny was not decided by us."

"My destiny? I…I don't want that! I just want to be a normal cat!"

"Amberpaw, it is you that must do this. In your blood runs the blood of four leaders. The strength and power of those cats will assist you in the coming half-moon."

Her heart froze. Sitting down hard, she echoed, "The coming moon?"

"On the first day of the new season, your life will end."

Amberpaw felt numb all over. She couldn't feel, couldn't see, couldn't even breathe. _The first day of green-leaf…_ "Hollypaw has my blood also," she said slowly, brain still not working. "Why is it that _I _was chosen?"

"Would you rather have your sister die in your stead?" The voices had no inflection.

Amberpaw immediately regretted her question. "We should both get to live," she growled, glaring poisonously up at the light.

"That is not a reasonable choice." It resumed its former shape—the glittering ball of shimmering light. "We have given you all that we can for now. Know this: both forces are rising as we speak. The consequences of you rejecting the call will be terrible for cats in this land."

Amberpaw opened her mouth to protest but found herself standing straight up back in front of the pool.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and her vision ebbed. "I'm going to die," she whispered to herself. Flipping her paw over, she stared blankly at the patch of raw skin on her pad. The wound had closed, but the place where it had been was still bright red as if it was fresh.

Setting it back down blankly, she turned around to trudge back to the Clan and pretend that she was alright. It would have to be one of the usual excuses: Out hunting, went for a drink, heard something unusual. She didn't even have to work to think of the lies.

There was a sharp rustling sound behind her, followed by a series of breathless grunting.

Amberpaw, with more energy than she had shown in a long time, leapt into the bushes and hid, peering out between the prickly stems of bramble just in time to see the hindquarters of a white cat lurch through the undergrowth on the other side of the empty pool, followed by shoulders and then a neck smeared with red blood.

She felt her breath catch as she saw what the other cat was doing: he was towing the limp body of another cat into the clearing, a familiar-looking she-cat with a white-flecked pale brown pelt.

_Oh, StarClan. It's Splashpaw. _

The WindClan apprentice was struggling feebly, her pelt ragged and torn as her body dragged over the ground. She reached back with one forepaw and lashed out at her captor, but the white tom simply ignored her.

He dumped her unceremoniously on the stone ground of the dip and stepped back, sitting down casually.

"Let me go, you fox-hearted…" Splashpaw was cursing the other cat in a raspy voice. "You just wait until I get my claws on you."

"Silence," he said calmly. "You won't be getting your claws on anyone."

Amberpaw felt a thrill of horror. _He's going to kill her!_

"Who are you?" Splashpaw demanded weakly. "You snuck up behind me when I was hunting. No one can do that!"

"My name is Keegan," the white cat answered politely. "And this is where you end, I'm afraid. Look there." He pointed with his muzzle.

Amberpaw followed his gaze to see a trickle of Splashpaw's blood dripping steadily into the dark hole in the center of the pool.

Keegan himself was watching this with a rapt expression of almost hunger. "Yes. Pretty little pale she-cat, you will soon be a part of the darkness. Very, very soon."

"No!" Splashpaw got shakily to her paws, turning to confront the white tom. Amberpaw had to admire her bravery as she stared down a cat much larger than herself. "I'll fight you!"

Keegan sighed dramatically. "Can't you just give up your lifeblood? It's so difficult to try and steal it from you. I still have scars from the last she-cat I killed here. Not as pretty as you, but just as pale-furred. Gray and white, you know."

_Is he talking about Hazeltail? _Amberpaw's mind was blank with horror.

"They need it more than you do," he pointed out, taking one pawstep closer.

Splashpaw backed up by the same amount. "Who does?"

"You don't need to worry about that, little she-cat." His voice was friendly and conversational, even as he took another step closer, causing Splashpaw to retreat hastily. "Just look up at the stars. It'll all be over soon. I'll make it quick and painless."

Splashpaw's whole pelt was on edge. "You're going…to kill me?" she whispered. "Well, I won't let you! I'll fight!"

Keegan sighed again. "Always the difficult ones." With that being said, he lunged forward quicker than Amberpaw would have thought possible and sank his teeth into the apprentice's throat. She yowled, recoiling, and raked at him with her hind paws.

Unable to help herself, Amberpaw threw herself down the side of the embankment and dragged Keegan away from Splashpaw. She hissed and spat, displaying her claws threateningly as she growled, "Back off!"

Keegan's blue eyes widened. "Another?" he muttered, almost to himself.

Splashpaw was heaving as she fought for breath. Amberpaw spared a quick glance backward to see the WindClan cat's throat was torn raggedly, dark blood pooling onto the ground beside her.

Keegan's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes. Lots of nice fresh blood from pretty she-cats," he purred. "Would you like to be next, little cream she-cat?"

Amberpaw felt her stomach roil with disgust and hatred. "Leave now and this won't be difficult."

"But I _love _being difficult," he murmured, eyes narrowed. He stepped forward again and Amberpaw leapt, sinking her teeth into the loose skin of his throat. He hissed, twisting his head to the side as he cuffed her over the head with a forepaw, using the other one to pin her to the ground. Panting, he bared his teeth and sank them into her shoulder, making her screech in pain.

Amberpaw twisted and lashed out with her hind claws, scoring a series of grooves along his flanks that turned his white pelt scarlet. Using her new grip, she swung upwards, slashing her claws down his ear.

Keegan shrieked under her blows, thrashing in her grip. Slamming his forepaws down on her foreleg, he broke her hold and bounded away, leaping up the embankment onto higher ground. Eyes narrowed, he launched himself down on her back, making her slam into the ground and lose her breath.

Now with the advantage, he pinned both her forelegs down with one paw, leaning close to her face to whisper, "Don't think you can beat me. I've got a _lifetime _of training."

Wrinkling back her lip, she hissed in his face.

He brought his other forepaw across her face with claws unsheathed, slicing four even cuts in the soft skin of her cheek.

Amberpaw winced as her blood ran, hot and sticky, down her face, matting in her pelt. She twisted and squirmed beneath his grip, getting one paw loose. Aiming for his already-wounded face, her paw brushed over the blood there.

A bolt of agony coursed through her, making her back arch as she screeched.

She lost all feeling in her body as images and memories that were not her own poured into her brain. Eyes wide, she watched as she saw a younger Keegan, eyes bright and happy as he played with his littermates. She saw him catch his first prey, bringing it back triumphantly to his mother. She watched as he fell in love with a beautiful ginger she-cat and how she had scorned his love. She followed along his pawsteps as he snuck into her den in the middle of a moonless night and made the ground run red with her blood…

"Stop! Stop!" Keegan's voice was raised in a shriek. "Stop it! Get out of my head!"

But Amberpaw couldn't move; her paw felt as secured to his face as if it had bolted there.

Now, beaten and heartbroken and thirsty for blood, Keegan wandered into the forest. She listened to his feverish mind as he followed the whispers to this place, pressing his ear to the dark ground here and hearing the words of greatness they spoke. He was given a mission: to bring the pale she-cat here and deposit her blood, for which he would be greatly rewarded.

"_No_!" Keegan ripped himself away from her, racing up and through the undergrowth, howling in pain the whole way. The bushes shivered with his passage and then lay still.

Amberpaw gasped on the ground. She couldn't seem to get enough air.

What had just happened?

Splashpaw stirred behind her, and she whirled to face the wounded she-cat. By now, the WindClan cat's eyes were dimming, the life leaking away from her broken body.

"Splashpaw," Amberpaw murmured. "Can you hear me?"

A spark of energy coursed through the she-cat, and she lifted her head to look at Amberpaw. "My name is Splashstep," she corrected, her voice sounding rather insulted. "You'd…you'd do well to…remember it, ThunderClan."

And then her head fell backwards and the light faded from her eyes.

Amberpaw just sat and stared at the broken body of the WindClan warrior. Moments ago, she had probably been happy and healthy, hunting for rabbits in her windblown territory, not knowing what snuck up behind her.

And now she was dead.

Moving slowly, Amberpaw tilted over the paw she had somehow connected to Keegan with. The red skin of the wound now shone as if there was a light underneath it, beating in time with her racing heart. She turned to face Splashstep, placing her paw gently on her uninjured flank and bracing herself for the burst of sheer agony she had felt with Keegan.

But nothing happened.

She moved her paw up to Splashstep's shoulder and tried again. Still nothing.

Then she remembered the bright blood that had stuck out on Keegan's head like yew berries on the snow.

Wincing slightly, she placed her paw against Splashstep's torn throat.

Again, she gasped as her eyes went blank, but this time, there was no pain. She saw Splashstep's memories, flashing in front of her eyes in a series of rapid moments. She saw Splashstep's mother and father rejoicing her birth; she saw her apprentice ceremony as the brown she-cat lifted her head proudly, the Clan cheering her on in the background. She watched as Splashstep was made a warrior, seeing her father's proud expression in the hazy background as her mother and two little brothers bounded and leapt behind them.

Then the memories changed, grew darker, more twisted. She was one with the WindClan she-cat as she heard the whispers of her Clan, as she saw her father's father sneaking away in the middle of the night. She remembered with Splashstep as the she-cat reminisced about the time of a great, cruel ThunderClan leader that had led the Clans to tyranny. And Amberpaw watched with Splashstep as that leader died by the claws of her own brother.

Gasping wildly, Amberpaw broke contact with Splashstep's blood, stepping backwards quickly and shaking her head rapidly. "No, no," she panted. "That can't be right."

Had Lionstar killed his sister? Had that really happened? Or was it a mistake?

Her father _couldn't _have done that! He was an honorable leader! He had taken over and led ThunderClan to peace after Hollystar had died.

_But maybe, _a voice in the back of her mind whispered, _that's why he refuses to talk about it. Because he was ashamed that he had killed his own sister._

Snapping back to the present, Amberpaw knew that she had to bring Splashstep back to her own territory. The thought of the small brown she-cat lying cold and alone in the ice-locked forest was almost more than she could bear. Dipping her head, she grabbed the limp she-cat by the scruff and began to haul her up the side of the embankment, scraping her pads over the sharp-sided dead leaves that littered the ground.

_What am I going to do now? _she wondered blankly as she slowly headed to the WindClan border. _Not only am I going to die, but now I somehow have this power. _

Could she ever help out her wounded Clanmates when she could see their life stories just by touching their blood? And how could she ever begin to tell Hollypaw? Her sister had already begun to drift away from her as it was, growing more cold and distant than ever. And even more unusual, she had begun to hang around Jayfeather more often as well, whispering to each other.

Amberpaw had never felt so alone in her life.

The urge to go and see Windfall was almost unbearable. She had to force the white tabby tom to the back of her mind so that she wouldn't race over to the ShadowClan border this very instant. Ever since he had told her why he hated her father, he had been more wary to meet up. Lionstar had already watched them with shrewd eyes as the ThunderClan patrol had left that day. Her heart ached as she had seen Windfall's desperate expression, begging her to not trust the father she had always known.

And now, with Splashstep's memories, she knew that he might be right after all.

Amberpaw laid Splashstep down gently on the WindClan side of the stream, using her other forepaw to gently brush off the clinging leaves. Sighing heavily, she dipped her head and whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I promise that your death won't be in vain, Splashstep."

And with that, she turned her back on WindClan's territory and headed back to her own territory, wanting to believe that it was all a dream, that she would wake up soon and Redpaw would still be alive and she never was chosen to die.

* * *

"Hey, Amberpaw." Rainshadow, who was on watch, dipped his head as she padded back into the camp. "You were gone a while this time."

"My prey got away from me again," she lied easily.

He sniffed at her pelt. "You smell like WindClan," he noted. "Was there no prey over there?"

"None." She shook her head. She had already cleaned herself off of all the blood from both Keegan and Splashstep. "Well, I should go and see what Sorreltail wants me to do."

He dipped his head. "See you later then."

She didn't respond. Looking around for her mentor, she saw the tortoiseshell she-cat sitting beneath the Highledge, letting Harekit and Faintkit tumble over her.

She looked up as Amberpaw approached. "Hey," she greeted cheerfully. "No training for the rest of the day today, okay? I told Honeyfern I would watch these little scraps while she went out with Berrynose."

"Oh." Amberpaw felt disappointed. Training would have been the best thing to get her mind off of what had just happened. "Okay."

"Guess what, Amberpaw?" Faintkit pressed her nose in Amberpaw's thick fur. "We're going to be apprentices today!"

Amberpaw purred. "Oh? And are you going to be the best apprentices ever?"

"You know it," Harekit grumbled. "Although, I wanted Redpaw as my mentor." The little kit sounded sad.

The familiar grief clutched at Amberpaw's heart. "He'll be watching you from StarClan," she said gently.

"It's not the same." He scuffed at the ground with one forepaw.

"I know," Faintkit said sympathetically, licking her brother over the ear. "But we'll become great warriors for his sake, okay?"

Harekit just muttered low in his throat, not making eye-contact.

Amberpaw said her goodbyes and trotted over to the apprentices' den, wanting to just be alone with her thoughts.

Hollypaw padded out just when Amberpaw was about to go in, nearly colliding with her. "Oops! Sorry, Amberpaw." She blinked in surprise. "What happened to you?"

Feeling a pang of fear, she demanded, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I dunno. You look kind of dazed. Did something happen?" Her voice was concerned.

Dismissively, she mewed, "No. I'm fine."

Hollypaw didn't look convinced. "Do you want to go see Jayfeather?"

Just the mention of the name made Amberpaw flinch. "No thanks," she said quickly.

Looking speculative now, Hollypaw tilted her head and asked, "Do you not like him?"

"It's not that, I just don't want to go get any herbs."

"I think you should."

"Well, I don't." Amberpaw tried to keep the snap out of her voice. "I just want to sleep."

"Please go and get some herbs," Hollypaw said softly. "I went and got some after you asked me to, remember? After Redpaw—"

"If it'll make you happy, I will," Amberpaw said swiftly, not wanting to remember those dim, endless days.

Hollypaw nodded. "Thanks. Let's go now, okay?"

Amberpaw padded after her sister, noticing how thin and ragged she looked. Every cat in the Clan was suffering from hunger—a famine not broken by the recent thaw. All of the prey seemed to be more than content to hide snug in their burrows, their food stores seeming to hold out.

"Hollypaw," Jayfeather greeted, nudging Leafpool awake. "And Amberpaw?" He sounded surprised. "What brings you two here?"

"Amberpaw wants some herbs to help her sleep," Hollypaw said for her. "She hasn't been sleeping well."

"Nightmares?" Leafpool asked, looking sharply at Amberpaw.

Confused, Amberpaw nodded. "Just usual ones."

Jayfeather's eyes flickered between the two sisters. "Hollypaw, can you excuse us, please?"

Hollypaw's eyes were sharp. "Why?"

"Private matters not for nosy apprentices," he growled in return, shooing her out of the den. Hollypaw cast one glance back before disappearing out the entrance to the den.

"The same nightmares?" Leafpool prompted as soon as she was out of earshot. "Have you gotten any more messages?"

"No," she said forcefully. "I've just had normal dreams. Please, can I just have some herbs and go?"

"Have you ever seen a red moon in your dreams?" Jayfeather asked, his voice deadly serious.

"A red…moon? No. No, I haven't seen anything like that." She shook her head.

"Amberpaw, have you been back to that pool?" Leafpool's voice was soft but insistent. "You need to tell us the truth."

Amberpaw hesitated, not saying anything.

"Amberpaw, we can help you. Please tell us." Leafpool pressed her pelt reassuringly against Amberpaw's.

Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she nodded.

Jayfeather's breath caught. "When?"

"Today. There…there was another cat there. He brought a she-cat to the pool and made her blood go in. Splashstep of WindClan." The images of the pool ran through her mind again and again. "He killed her and then tried to kill me. I…I fought him off somehow. He ran away."

"What did he look like?" Leafpool asked softly.

"White. He was all white. And his name was Keegan. He was a loner and came here looking for answers. He killed the she-cat he loved and wanted answers. He's crazy."

"He told you this?" Jayfeather sounded surprised.

"No." Amberpaw knew she was in dangerous territory. If she told them this, she would have no way of ever taking the words back. "I felt it. Through his blood."

"What do you mean by that?" Jayfeather and Leafpool shared a startled glance.

"When I touched his blood, I could feel his memories. They came through his blood into my head. I saw his kithood and his littermates. I watched him kill that she-cat and I watched him get his directions from them."

"Them? Who is 'them?'"

"The ones in the hole. They told him to bring back a pale she-cat for the hole to…drink." She had no other way to describe it. "He was the one who killed Hazeltail. That's why she didn't have any blood."

"How did you sense it through his blood?" Leafpool looked confused, but something else was in her eyes too; Amberpaw didn't want to think it was fear.

"I touched it. With this paw." Finally, after all the moons of secrecy, she displayed the bright red weal on her paw—the one she had tried desperately to hide.

Jayfeather's pale eyes widened as he stared at it. Leaning closer, he sniffed at it. "It smells like a normal wound," he mewed. "This can't be the same one we gave you bandages for?"

"It is," she confirmed shakily. "I touched the blood with this paw and I could read his memories."

Jayfeather shared an excited glance with Leafpool. "Can you do it now?" he demanded, whirling back to face her. "If I showed you some blood?"

"Yours?" she asked, confused.

"No," Leafpool said bluntly. Turning around, she pulled out a wad of cobwebs. "I just pulled these off of Oakdapple," she explained. "See if you can tell what she was doing when she hurt herself."

Hesitant now, Amberpaw paused.

"Come on," Jayfeather growled. "Hurry up."

Taking a deep breath, Amberpaw extended her paw and rested it on the bloodstained cobwebs.

Again, there was that rushing feeling, as if she had fallen backwards. She saw the world through Oakdapple's eyes, how she felt about the Clan, the love for her mother and father, a hidden affection for Mousewhisker that she was too afraid to admit, her pride in being a part of ThunderClan. She walked with Oakdapple as she padded through the woods with Rainshadow at her side, listened in on how she had challenged him to leap over a fallen log. He had done it; she had gotten caught and had to be freed, much to her humiliation.

Embarrassed and flustered, Amberpaw pulled her paw back. She hadn't meant to see all that the ginger-dappled she-cat saw—especially not that bit about Mousewhisker. "She cut herself trying to jump over a log," she reported. "Her and Rainshadow were competing."

Jayfeather dipped his head, eyes unreadable. "Very good."

Leafpool nuzzled Amberpaw's shoulder. "You did well," she mewed gently. "Don't worry; we'll help you out, okay? You should probably stay away from blood at all costs—you went into some sort of daze when you touched it."

Amberpaw nodded, letting out a shaky breath of relief. "What's going to happen?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Leafpool admitted while Jayfeather remained silent. "But we'll figure it out."

Amberpaw nodded. "Thank you."

She dipped her head. "I think the ceremony is about to start. Why don't you go and watch?"

"Okay." Without another word in case she let slip something about what the light had told her, she padded out of the medicine den just in time to see Lionstar leap onto on the Highledge.

As she watched him do the familiar call, she couldn't help thinking back to Splashstep's memories. Had Lionstar really killed his own sister? Had he done it in the coldblooded way that Windfall had accused him of? She couldn't imagine Lionstar doing anything of the sort, but she also knew that Windfall wouldn't lie to her—not with their agreement.

Hollypaw dropped beside her just as Harepaw got his apprentice name. "Did they give you something?" she asked, watching as Ferncloud came forward to touch her new apprentice's nose to her own.

"Yeah," she answered. "I feel much better now."

Hollypaw muttered something unintelligible.

Amberpaw looked over at her, amused. "Is that a show of affection, Hollypaw?"

Hollypaw put on a bland expression, staring at Faintpaw as she stepped over to Mousewhisker and touched his nose in respect. "Maybe," she said at last.

Purring, Amberpaw leaned against her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry I've been so distant," she mewed softly.

"Me too. It's just been…so hard." She blinked rapidly. "On all of us."

Knowing she was talking about Redpaw, she sighed heavily. "I know. But our naming ceremony should be coming up soon. That's something good."

"Definitely. But…let's promise to be there for each other. Okay?" She turned to look at Amberpaw, looking rather embarrassed. "Do you know what the last thing I said to Redpaw before he died was? I told him, 'You better start improving soon, little mouse, or you won't ever be a warrior.'" She closed her eyes in pain. "I have to live knowing that's the last thing I said to my little brother."

"He knew you didn't mean it," Amberpaw said softly. "He knew you loved him and he loved us."

"I hope so." She didn't sound certain.

"It's true." Getting to her paws, Amberpaw mewed, "Let's go and get some prey, alright?"

"Alright." She looked up at her sister. "Thanks a lot, Amberpaw. When we become elders, we'll be able to tell all the new little kits about Redpaw and us when we were younger, right?"

Feeling like something was stuck in her throat, Amberpaw nodded. "Of course we will. I look forward to it."

* * *

**Aw, how sad, eh? I love angst. XD**

**And now I actually have to go practice piano. My lesson's on Thursday and I haven't practiced yet. T-T**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	26. Chapter 25

**For some reason, I didn't get the alerts for this chapter until yesterday night. Was it like that with you guys, too? Darn FFnet. :P**

**xXSnowfireXx - Thankies! I went and fixed it already! :D:D Darn Warriors and its similar-sounding names. Haha, you thought that was sad? Wait 'til you read this one. }:D Oh, you did join NaNo? You should have friended me, silly Snowy-chan. XD Yeah, I could do it last time 'cause I only have twelve credit hours. I was hoping to get fifteen this semester, but I waited too long. T-T No Creative Writing this time, I suppose. D:**

**Amazingly Awesome Person - Oh? Huh. It does kinda seem like that now that I'm looking at it. XD Ouch! How'd you manage to break your thumb? That sounds majorly suckish. I passed out 'cause I had marching band practice and we had no water breaks, so the next day at school I was gonna go to the nurse for Tylenol, got three steps out the door, and keeled over. XD It didn't really hurt--I much prefer fainting over puking, for sure--and it makes for a really funny story. I had to get five stitches in my chin and had to wear a wrist brace for a while. =\ Also, you're an Aussie? That's so cool! Do you see kangaroos and emus and stuff all over the place? -has no clue about Australia-**

**violinlover71898 - I didn't much care for her either. XD Also, if you don't mind me being nosy, do the numbers in your name mean anything? You don't have to answer if it's rude or anything. :D**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Redpaw stood standing against the wind, looking out at the ground below the pipe. The high breeze ruffled his thick, healthy fur—proof of nearly three moons of good-eating and enough rest.

"Ready to go, bud?" October yawned as he padded up behind him, dropping his chest down into a stretch. He sniffed the air, whiskers twitching. "Smells warmer."

"It does," Redpaw agreed, feeling a burst of happiness. _When it's warmer, we'll all be a lot more comfortable, _he thought. _Sophie will feel better then._

The tailless she-cat had grown weaker despite the plentiful meat. She was listless and hollow-gazed, as if she already had one paw into the next world. Winnie and Crescent came out hunting with them now, being nearly eleven moons old. Redpaw still couldn't believe how much the two kits had grown recently—their pelts were thicker and added more protection against the cold wind, and their shoulders broadened more like a warrior's than a loner's.

"Let's head out then," October grunted, already leaping down to the usual tree branch and onto the ground. Redpaw followed easily, his shoulder completely healed, though not without a thick scar that parted his ginger fur.

They chatted lightly as they padded into the forest, the daily task becoming more of a bonding time than anything else: most of the prey around practically leapt into their paws, and with more claws hunting, more food could be brought back.

October held up his tail for silence, eyes fixed on a rattling bush. Redpaw motioned him forward, mouthing, "It's all yours."

October nodded, amused, and crept forward, belly low against the ground. With a waggle of hindquarters and a lunge, the squirrel was dead at his paws. He let out a grunt of appreciation. "That's got some good meat on its bones, eh?"

"Oh yeah," Redpaw agreed readily, bending down to breathe in its warm scent. "Let's see if we can catch another."

Scraping dirt over the prey with his hindpaws, October agreed with a quiet mew.

"What's wrong?" Moons of hunting side-by-side had given Redpaw plenty of opportunities to see when October was upset.

"Sure it's nothin'," he muttered, ears flattening. "Dontcha feel it, bud? Feels…different."

Redpaw paused and scented the air: nothing smelled amiss. "Nothing seems unusual."

October just grunted. "Well, we'll just keep an eye on it. Two if we can spare it," he joked.

Redpaw laughed. "You sure you just don't want to go back home, old timer?" he teased.

"Old timer? I can still flay your hide, young'un, and don't you forget it." He growled good-naturedly, flicking Redpaw over the ears. "Just 'cause you're bigger now doesn't mean you can beat me."

Redpaw raised his head proudly. The gray tom was right: Redpaw had grown. He was almost as big as the loner himself, but with broader shoulders and heavier forepaws. He wondered distantly if he was any bigger than his sisters now.

The thought of ThunderClan made a wave of sadness course through him. He hadn't thought of his former home in so long it felt like someone else's memory, like he had heard the story and imagined it all.

_Former _home? He caught himself, shaking his fur out.

"Somethin' the matter, bud?" October asked, head cocked to one side.

"No, nothing," Redpaw lied. "Let's just keep going, alright?"

"Were you thinkin' of ThunderClan?" he pressed softly. "I know how that feels, bud. Me and my sister came from nice housefolk, you know. Sometimes I catch myself thinkin', 'What if we had done this different? Would it have turned out this way?'" He shook his head. "Then I remember how it really is."

"Well, that's not the case this time," Redpaw argued, feeling a hot surge of anger. "ThunderClan is _still _there! Probably needing me!"

"You can go anytime, y'know."

Redpaw bared his teeth. "I don't know where I am," he gritted out.

"You could find your way." October started to look angry. "Don't pretend we're forcin' you to stay here, bud, 'cause you know we're not."

"You might as well have!" Redpaw felt his temper bubble over, making everything seem infinitely more infuriating. "You only want me here to help you hunt! If I wasn't here, your family would starve to death!"

"And what's the problem with that, huh?" October's hackles were up. "We brought you here out of the goodness of our hearts and you're still as selfish as that bratty little kit I brought back!"

Redpaw felt his words like a blow to the face. "_I'm_ selfish?! What about you? You're the one that won't lead me back to my home! All because you're a terrible hunter and need my help!"

He snarled. "I've been feeding myself three times your lifetime, Redpaw."

_He never calls me Redpaw._ "Barely," he spat. "You owe _me. _I've been the one teaching the kits to hunt—teaching them to defend themselves. They've been thinking that you would just leave them to live your own eventually!"

Redpaw regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. All of October's anger left him like a blown-out flame. "They…they think I'm gonna leave them?" he asked softly.

"No, October, I didn't mean—"

But October cut him off angrily. "I know what you meant, Redpaw. If you want to leave so badly, then go! I'll prove to you I can hunt for my own family. I would _never _leave them. Not like you would." And with that, he turned and bounded away.

Redpaw took a few steps as if to follow, then stopped. Anything he said now would just incense the gray loner. Muttering angrily to himself, he snatched up October's squirrel and headed back to the pipe.

* * *

"Redpaw!" Crescent let out a happy yowl as he saw his friend padding back in. "That's a huge squirrel!" Then he paused. "Why didn't you take me with you?"

"You were sleeping," Redpaw muttered around his mouthful of fur. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "Well, let me carry that for you. You caught it, after all."

_October caught it, _he wanted to say, but lacked the energy. Handing it over, he padded after the white tom as he led the way towards the back of the pipe.

Winnie crouched over her mother, concern in her blue eyes. Hearing them approach, she looked up. "Hey, Redpaw," she greeted softly.

"Hey. How's she doing?" Redpaw came up to look down at the ginger she-cat. Her fur was matted and unkempt, her eyes wandering under the closed lids.

Winnie leaned down and pressed a paw to her pads. "She has a fever again." She sounded worried.

Redpaw licked her head. "She'll be fine," he whispered. "I brought back some food." He turned and picked up the squirrel, plucking a leg off of the prey. Scraping off the fur, he held the still-warm meat to Sophie's lips. "Sophie, wake up," he said gently.

The ginger she-cat's green eyes opened slowly. "Redpaw?" she rasped.

"Get water," Redpaw ordered to Crescent; the white tom took off like a flash of light.

"I've brought meat. Do you think you can eat some?" He began to chew up some of the leg meat, then pushed it in front of her muzzle.

Extending her tongue slowly, Sophie pulled the meat into her mouth, chewing weakly. "It's good," she praised lightly.

"You'll feel better soon," Redpaw assured her. "We'll leave you to rest now."

Winnie followed after Redpaw as they padded to the edge of the pipe and looked out. "She's going to die, isn't she?"

"No," Redpaw said firmly. "She won't."

"She's so weak," she whimpered. "I've never seen her so weak."

Redpaw sighed heavily. "The meat will make her feel better," was all he said.

Winnie stared out at the ground in silence for a few heartbeats. Redpaw watched her, seeing the worry that swam in her dark blue eyes. She was so mature, he thought. All she wanted was for her family to be together forever happy and healthy, he knew that.

"Where's Uncle?" she asked, interrupting his musing.

A pang of guilt twisted through his belly. "He went back out hunting," he told her.

"Mm." She fell quiet again, sighing silently.

There was a blur of white on the ground, and Crescent climbed powerfully up the tree, leaping easily onto the edge of the pipe despite his mouthful of dripping moss. He nodded to his sister and Redpaw, padding quickly down the pipe and vanishing in the darkness.

As the day went on, Redpaw and Winnie sat at the edge of the pipe, waiting for October to return. Redpaw found himself growing steadily more worried as the sun sank in the sky, burning orange and red.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to find him."

"Me too," Winnie said instantly, leaping down ahead of Redpaw and landing on the ground. Redpaw followed after her as they ran through the forest, noses to the ground.

Redpaw circled the area where October had killed the squirrel. "He went this way next," he said, leaping up and over a clump of brambles to hit the ground on the other side. He turned around to help Winnie through, but she had already jumped over the brambles. Surprised, he mewed, "I didn't think you could do that."

"Neither did I," she admitted. "Let's go!"

October's scent grew stronger the farther along the path they went. Scents of prey laced through his trail, but it didn't seem like he stopped the hunt them—he was heading somewhere.

Redpaw's whiskers twitched as a strong, bitter scent rose from the path. "What is that?"

Winnie's nose was wrinkled. "It smells like something's rotting," she spat, raising a paw to block her nose.

"It must be a twolegplace," he muttered. "But why would he come here?"

It wasn't like any twolegplace he had ever seen. This one had barely more than three dens in his view, all with wide expanses of grass surrounding them. Large black-and-white animals with short horns grazed nearby, their brownish eyes fixed on the cats with a vague interest.

"Cows," Winnie told him. "They won't hurt us." She nodded towards the ground. "Look! Pawprints!"

Redpaw sniffed at the marks: they were October's. "What's he doing this close to twolegs?" he muttered. "It doesn't make any sense." He trotted along after the prints, running face-first into a wooden post. Leaping backwards in fright, he heard frantic squawking coming from behind the post.

Winnie put her front paws up on a low-lying beam, peering inside. "There are huge birds in there!" she exclaimed. She scrambled her hindpaws up beside her and squeezed through.

"Winnie!" he hissed. "Come back!"

But he just got a tail flick in return.

Cursing softly, he wiggled up inside the wood after her, landing paw-deep in something disgusting. Wrinkling his lips back, he saw that it was white bird dung. "Can we leave now?" he snarled, revolted.

Winnie was laughing, leaping after a bird nearly as big as her. "Come on, Redpaw! Look, they run away!"

The bird in question looked affronted, its proportionally-tiny beak open as if to peck her, but she dodged it easily.

"It bet they're good eating," she noted. "You wanna try and catch one?"

"And how would we get it back, exactly?" Redpaw, lifting his paws high in the air, made his way over to her. "Let's get out of here."

"Aaw, okay." She sounded genuinely disappointed.

Redpaw felt a sharp tugging sensation on his tail. Ripping it free, he wheeled around to see another of the birds—this one with some bizarre red thing that hung under its beak and another over its head—plucked at his tail. Its bright eyes gleaming in the darkness of the den as it tilted its head, coming back in for another peck.

He lashed his claws out at it and struck it solidly on the red wobbly thing. The bird recoiled back, a high-pitched, shrieky squawk issuing from its throat.

"Let's go!" he yowled, seeing the other birds starting to panic.

Winnie squeezed out another hole, followed quickly by Redpaw, fearing for his tail. Once outside, he collapsed on the ground. "Let's not do that again."

Winnie laughed, coming over to pick feathers off of his pelt. "Don't be such a grouch," she teased. "That was fun."

Redpaw just grunted, closing his eyes as she groomed his pelt. It felt nice.

A sudden, feral snarling filled his ears. He opened his eyes in shock, seeing two black-and-white dogs launch themselves down from the top of the birds' wooden den.

"Run!" Redpaw yowled, shoving Winnie ahead of him. They pelted down the side of a hill, going much too fast to have any control. Redpaw fishtailed from side to side, waiting for his paws to fall out from underneath him.

The dogs panted just behind them, their blunt claws making it easier for them to grip the grassy ground.

With a yowl of fright, Redpaw saw Winnie start to slip, tumbling tail over muzzle down the incline. He pounced after her, thinking that if he landed right in front of her, she could brace herself off of his forepaws.

He was wrong. Instead of catching her balance, she knocked Redpaw off-balance, causing him to crash down the hill just ahead of her.

Through his wheeling vision, he saw the dogs back off, skidding to stop themselves before they followed after the cats. Redpaw furiously tried to get his paws beneath him, but nothing could stop him as he built up speed.

The icy water in the stream below was a shock as he hit the surface, Winnie falling in right after him. Gasping and choking, he scrambled to the surface, immediately looking around for Winnie.

Her white head popped up just next to him, her eyes shining. "That was _so _much fun!" she squealed. "Let's go again!"

"No." Redpaw's voice was flat. Scrabbling up onto the muddy bank, he hung his head down low and panted, out of breath from his terrifying plunge.

Winnie shook out her long fur, soaking him yet again. Water dripping from her ears, she looked at him happily. "You have to admit that was pretty fun," she prodded. "You thought it was fun, didn't you? You loved it!"

Redpaw glared sourly at her. "More than life itself," he grumbled. He shook his ears irritably, feeling the water soak deep into his pelt. "But it was kinda exhilarating," he admitted.

Winnie laughed. "Of course it was!" She pressed against his pelt, sighing. "I wish every day could be like that."

"Like what?" he prompted, humoring her.

She glanced over at him, suddenly looking shy. "Having fun with you."

Redpaw glanced quickly at the ground. "I wish every day could be like that, too."

She purred, pressing against his side. He leaned over to begin to lick her fur free of water, wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste.

Suddenly he stopped. "Do you smell that?"

"Hmm?" She lifted her nose into the air. "I don't smell anything."

But Redpaw had already moved away, peering closely at the ferns that surrounded the water. There was something dark smeared across the green fronds.

He felt a little grip at his heart. _Blood._

"What is it?" Winnie padded up behind him.

"Wait here," he told her, following along the ferns.

She ignored him, gasping. "Is that blood?"

The drops of blood grew bigger and closer together, until they formed a stream of crimson. The ferns were parted here and in the middle of the tiny space was a pile of bloody gray fur, speckled with black and with cream flecks on its face…

"No!" Winnie's cry of horror echoed Redpaw's silent one. "Uncle!"

October's fur was slicked in blood, terrible wounds covering his flanks. One ear was shredded to ribbons and his tail was bent in half like a broken branch.

"Oh, Redpaw, he's dead!" Winnie's eyes were filled with sorrow and disbelief.

But she was wrong. He wasn't dead.

October blinked open his eyes, the once-brilliant blue gaze dim. "Winnie? Is that you, scrap?"

She pressed her face against his. "I'm here, Uncle. Hold on, we'll get you help."

But October was already heaving for breath. "Stupid dogs got me," he growled weakly. "I tried to get you scraps one of those…those birds, but they got me instead." A trickle of blood dripped down his muzzle as he struggled for words.

"October…" Redpaw didn't know what to say.

October's dim gaze fixed on Redpaw. "Looks like they're all yours," he rasped. "Take care of our family, son."

A lump rose in Redpaw's throat. He knew that this was October's way of forgiving him for all the terrible hateful things that Redpaw had said. "I will," he vowed. "I promise."

October nodded. "Don't worry 'bout me none, scrap. I'll be…alright." And with that, he closed his eyes and was still.

"No!" Winnie cried, pressing her face against October's. "No, Uncle, come back! Don't leave us!"

Redpaw just stared blankly at October's still face. _I said such terrible things to him and he still forgave me, _he thought. _He was the best friend I could ever have and I threw that away. It's my fault that he died. He went to twolegplace to get one of those birds because of what I said._

Winnie's soft cries of grief went on, and Redpaw had no way to comfort her.

* * *

"Hey, Winnie!" Crescent was standing in the mouth of the pipe. "I was wondering where…" He trailed off, blue eyes wide as he saw Redpaw dragging October's body behind him. "What happened?!"

"Dogs killed him," Winnie said, her voice choked with sorrow.

Crescent leapt down onto the tree and landed on the ground in front of them, his eyes wide and disbelieving. "How…how did this happen?"

"He tried to go and prey," Redpaw said bitterly, setting the gray loner down gently. "It's my fault that he went. We…we got in an argument."

Crescent sighed heavily, nuzzling October's ears gently. "Oh, Uncle. What are we going to do without you?" His voice was agonized. He looked up at Winnie and Redpaw. "We can't tell Mother."

"Why not?" Winnie whispered. "She deserves to know. He was her brother!"

Crescent's voice was soft when he said, "She's dying."

Redpaw felt disbelief course through him. Two cats dead in the same night? _This must be a nightmare. Maybe I'll wake up and it'll have all been a terrible dream._

Winnie looked down at October. "We need to bury him."

"Redpaw and I will do it," Crescent said, licking his sister's ear gently. "You can go and see Mother."

"No." She shook her head. "I'll help too. I loved him as much as you did."

Crescent dipped his head and didn't say anything else.

Winnie picked a place just at the edge of the trees where wild poppies grew. The green-leaf sun wouldn't scorch the ground here, and it was sheltered enough to keep flowers even in leaf-bare. It didn't take long—the ground was soft—but it seemed to take an eternity.

Finally, the hole was dug and they lay October inside gently.

"We should say something," Crescent mumbled. "I'll go first." He stepped up to the grave and looked down inside, his eyes sad. "Uncle, thank you so much for taking care of us and Mother. Thank you for teaching me how to hunt and how to be a good cat. I owe you so much." By the end, his voice broke. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, he stepped back and motioned to Winnie.

She plucked one of the poppies from the edge of the woods and dropped it gently inside. "Thank you," she said simply. "I love you, Uncle."

Then it was Redpaw's turn. He stepped up to the edge of the hole and looked down inside. October looked so small, so insignificant, so unlike the strong, brave cat he had been in life. "October, you taught me more than you could ever know," he said softly. "You took care of me when I was injured; you saved me from the foxes and welcomed me into your family." He paused, taking in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry that you died. No cat loved life like you did. I'm sorry," he added, his voice making no noise.

Winnie stepped forward and brushed her shoulder along Redpaw's. "We all loved him," she whispered. Crescent had already begun to shift the soil back into October's grave, each kick of earth making Redpaw's heart sting.

But despite her words, Redpaw couldn't—and wouldn't—shake the feeling that the entire thing was his fault. _If I hadn't let my temper control me, this would never have happened._

"Let's go see Mother," Winnie whispered, nudging Redpaw to his feet.

Even before they could see the orange she-cat, Redpaw knew she had gotten worse. Her breathing rasped in her throat and her eyes wheeled under the lids.

"Mother?" Winnie's voice was very soft.

Sophie's eyes opened to slits. "My kits," she greeted weakly. "Did you find October?"

"We found him," Redpaw answered.

Sophie closed her eyes again. "I do wish to see him. Can you…can you send him to me?" A fit of coughing interrupted her words, and she lay back panting.

Winnie stifled a little whimper.

"Tell October to come here," Sophie was saying. "I want to…see him." Her breath came out in a gentle sigh and she was gone.

Crescent threw his head back and yowled. "Why is this happening to us?" he demanded bitterly. "What did we ever do to deserve this?!"

Winnie's eyes were fixed on her mother. Ever so gently, she leaned forward and licked Sophie's eyes shut, arranging her limbs more comfortably. "She's with StarClan now, right, Redpaw? She's with Uncle in StarClan."

Redpaw felt like his heart was breaking. "Yes. No cat deserves a place more than her and October." He let her lean against him, burying her face in his shoulder fur. Crescent scooted over next to them and Redpaw rested his chin on the younger tom's head, wondering what was next for them. And like that, the three young cats fell asleep underneath the thick atmosphere of grief.

* * *

When Redpaw awoke the next morning, both Winnie and Crescent were already gone. The place where Sophie's body had lain was empty, the nesting material smoothened.

"Morning." Crescent padded into the pipe, his paws clotted with dirt. "We need to talk."

Winnie followed after, her blue eyes dim. "Crescent and I have been talking. With Mother and Uncle gone, we're by ourselves. You can go back home now."

Redpaw felt shocked. "And leave you two here alone?"

"We can take care of ourselves," Crescent said dismissively. "We know how to hunt."

"That's stupid," Redpaw whispered, his voice still hushed from last night. "We're family now, alright? October ordered me to protect you two."

"But we don't need protecting," Winnie said gently. "You can go back to ThunderClan now, Redpaw. Don't worry about us."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For so long, he had put ThunderClan out of his mind, forgotten about the Clan under the shade of the forest. For so long, he had considered Sophie, October, Winnie, and Crescent his family.

And he wasn't about to give that up.

"No," he said firmly. "I won't go."

"But you have to!" Crescent looked stunned. "You've been pining away for ThunderClan since you got here! We don't want to hold you back."

"No one's holding me back," Redpaw hissed, getting to his paws. "Look, Crescent, you're my brother. You know that. Would you just abandon me if the roles were switched?"

The white tom stared back challengingly, then faltered. "No."

Redpaw pressed his shoulder against Crescent's. "We'll figure out something."

"I have an idea," Winnie said suddenly. Whirling to look Redpaw straight in the eye, she mewed, "Take us with you back to ThunderClan."

* * *

**Aw, writing this chapter made me so sad. Two kittehs killed off in one chapter? That's cruel even for me. XD**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	27. Chapter 26

**Heeeeey, guys! This has been a really long update time this time...my bad! I got distracted by a research paper I decided to try and do in one day and it took me EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT. Seriously, now. If it weren't for Breaking Benjamin and Glee, I would be DEADSIES. XD**

**Anyhoo, sorry for the wait!**

**Lightkit - Oh yes. I had it planned to kill October the instant I thought of him, but I had to off Sophie too to make what I want to work work. :P **

**Icethroat21 - No worries! Actually, it wasn't loading for me either. =\ And I didn't get any of my reviews until like two days later. XD Heehee! Thankies~ Actually, I had a "covert" account on here before I had this one--it was called Stormfrost--but my mom didn't want me to be writing fanfiction because she thought I would give away where I lived or my real name or something. Who knows? **

**xxSnowfirexx - Have I been writing the x's wrong in your name all this time? Crap. ^.^' Yes! This November you must friend meeeeee! I have too much free time, and I haven't taken any of my classes for my major/minor, so I should probably kick it next year. My parents want me to take 21 credit hours. :O I would be deadsies. **

**violinlover71898 - Ooooh, I see. So having your birthday in the summer, you weren't ever able to bring in cupcakes to your class, right? XD My birthday is January 5th, so it was always the day _right before _Winter Break ended. I never got to bring in cupcakes for my class. T-T**

**Darkness. Is. Energy - Now, now, Skyst. You really think that I would let everyone have a happy ending. _Me?_ }:D **

**Fwirl - DANGIT. Darn you! Hehehehe, more kittehs will die by the time this fic is over, trust me, kohai. }:D**

**GinnyStar - Thankies~ Yeah, I felt bad killing both of them, but 'twas all for plot purposes! **

**Amazingly Awesome Person - Wait now. I have you down for reviewing the last chapter twice! How the heck did that happen? *-* Heehee! Oh, I know full-well that I'm evil. I don't just hand out happy endings. They have to be EARNED. By SUFFERING. And ANGST. XDDDDDDDDDDD Oh, definitely coincidence, then. I found two kittens in my backyard that looked like October and Sophie and popped them into this story. :D Ouch! But even sprains hurt! I hope you feel better soon! Australia Day? What's that? Is that like American Independence Day? -is curious- Haaa, I figured that you wouldn't see a bunch of kangaroos, but I just couldn't help myself. XD Living in Florida, I always get, "OMGOMGOMG, have you been to Disney?!" right before, "Have you seen the shuttle launch?" and "Do you go to the beach like, every day?" And the answers would be, "Yes," "Everytime it goes off," and "Heck no." XD**

**Anyway, I wrote out some new allegiences since I kinda killed off a whole bunch of characters. XD **

**Enjoy~**

* * *

**Allegiances**

**Leader:**

Lionstar - golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy:**

Graystripe - long-haired gray tom

**Medicine Cat:**

Leafpool - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Jayfeather_

**Warriors:**

Brightheart - white she-cat with ginger splashes

Ferncloud - pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Harepaw_

Cloudtail - long-haired white tom

Sorreltail - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Spiderleg - long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes

Birchfall - light brown tabby tom

Berrynose - cream-colored tom, blue eyes

Mousewhisker - gray-and-white tom

_Apprentice, Faintpaw_

Millie - striped gray tabby she-cat, green eyes

Cinderheart - gray tabby she-cat, blue eyes

Honeyfern - light brown tabby she-cat

Poppyfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat

Foxclaw - reddish tabby tom, green eyes

Icepelt - white she-cat, green eyes

Rosefall - dark cream she-cat, yellow eyes

Briarpelt - dark brown she-cat, yellow eyes

Bumblestripe - very pale gray tom with black stripes, yellow eyes

Blossomfall - white she-cat with tortoiseshell patches, blue eyes

Oakdapple - ginger dappled tabby she-cat with white paws, green eyes

Rainshadow - long-haired gray tom with darker flecks, dark blue eyes

Amberlight – pale cream she-cat, amber eyes

Hollyflight – long-haired gray she-cat, amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Jayfeather - gray tabby tom, blue eyes

Faintpaw – pale brown she-cat, green eyes

Harepaw – gray-brown tom, blue eyes

**Queens:**

Daisy - cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace, blue eyes

**Elders:**

Longtail - pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Dustpelt - dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat

Brambleclaw - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, severely broken foreleg

**Cats outside the Clan:**

Crescent – white tom, blue eyes

Winnie – white she-cat, blue eyes

Redpaw – ginger tabby tom, blue eyes

* * *

Hollypaw's eyes were sharp as she watched her sister talking with Oakdapple and Icepelt. She seemed fine and normal, but all the things that Jayfeather had told her—and what she had overheard—kept flickering across her mind. _She might not even _be_Amberpaw anymore. It could be one of them in her skin._

_Could it really be that, though? _she wondered, idly tossing a mouse between her paws. _Jayfeather told me about the cats of the Dark Forest…and combining that to what Hollystar told me, it seems like… _Her thoughts trailed off, digging her claws into the prey's gray fur.

Amberpaw had been more outspoken in the past few days—more than she had been in a long time.

_I wonder what changed? _Hollypaw arched her back and yawned, pushing the mouse aside and resting her nose in her paws. _I guess I'll find out one day. Maybe. _

"Hey, lazypaws."

With a soft mew of protest, she lifted her head to see Graystripe standing in front of her. "Hi, Graystripe," she greeted, yawning again. _Just when I was about to get some sleep, too._

"You can sleep later," he told her, as if he had read her thoughts. "I want you to do an assessment."

Gasping, she shot to her paws. "Does this mean my ceremony is soon?" she demanded. "How soon? Tonight?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "Maybe, maybe. Why don't you grab your sister and meet me by the entrance tunnel? We'll see how good your skills are." He trotted off towards the warriors' den to peer inside.

Heart racing, she nodded. "Amberpaw!" she yowled, tipping her head over her shoulder. "Come on!"

Amberpaw looked up from her conversation. "What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Our ceremony!" Not able to sit still, she bounced over to her sister's side. "Graystripe's going to have us do our assessment!"

She looked alarmed. "When?"

"Now, mousebrain!" Hollypaw spun in a circle happily. "Come on, come on!"

Talking in rapid, excited voices, the two littermates made their way over to the entrance tunnel, where a sleepy-looking Sorreltail was waiting next to Graystripe. Her amber eyes glowed as her apprentice approached.

"Are you ready?" she asked, amused.

"Yes," Amberpaw answered solemnly. "What are the rules?"

Graystripe twitched his whiskers. "Only hunt from WindClan border to here—don't go over it, and don't go near it. Catch as much prey as you can and leave it hidden from other predators. We'll be watching, so make sure you do your best, okay?"

"Okay," they chorused, giving each other giddy looks.

Yellow eyes amused, Graystripe nodded and stepped back. "Have at it!"

Nearly leaping out of her fur with excitement, Hollypaw charged forward, nearly knocking Amberpaw to the ground as she leapt over a heavy branch. "Let's go!" she yowled. "Come on!"

"I'm running as fast as I can," Amberpaw puffed. "We need to conserve our energy!"

But Hollypaw wasn't listening. Veering to the side, she barreled through a tangle of hanging ivy and into a clearing, mouth open to scent for prey. _I have to catch the first prey, _she thought, swiveling her ears to catch any sound. _Then I'll always have that over Amberpaw. _

A flicker of motion caught her eye and she turned, already dropping into a crouch. The scent of the vole made her whiskers twitch with anticipation. Highly aware of the fact her mentor might be watching, she did her best to creep forward silently, placing each paw down gently. Waggling her haunches, she pounced forward and broke the vole's neck with a single blow.

Picking it up and tail high in the air, she turned to face her sister proudly. Her tail drooped when she saw Amberpaw wasn't there. _But wasn't she just behind me?_

Kicking a layer of soil over the vole, she trotted back the way she came, nose to the ground to sniff for Amberpaw's scent. Following the easy trail, she saw the cream fur of her sister pressed against a mound of dead pine needles, her back low and her tail lashing slowly back and forth. A squirrel nibbled a beech nut just ahead of her, oblivious to the cat that snuck up on it.

Hollypaw felt her belly rumble as she thought of how tasty that squirrel would be—how its warm meat would fill her belly to satisfaction: Something she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Amberpaw took another pawstep, eyes locked on the reddish fur of the prey. With a rush of motion, she leapt forward and dug her claws into its tail, getting a firm hold and lashing out with the other paw. But she had landed awkwardly, and instead of breaking its neck, she raked through its shoulder fur. Amberpaw sucked in a breath of air, as if in pain.

With a squeal of pain, the squirrel ripped itself free and disappeared up the tree.

Amberpaw hadn't moved from her position, her shoulders quivering.

"Amberpaw!" Hollypaw dashed to her sister's side, alarmed to see her eyes had rolled back in her head. "Amberpaw! Snap out of it!"

Amberpaw's lips were twitching as if she was trying to speak, and her tail flipped behind her. Then, as sudden as a gust of wind, she blinked and relaxed her stiffened muscles. "W-what?" she mewed, averting her gaze. "Did you say something?"

Hollypaw just gaped at her. "Did you just have a seizure or something?" she demanded hoarsely.

"What?" Amberpaw looked surprised. "N-no! That would be… Don't be ridiculous, Hollypaw."

"But I just _saw _you!" Hollypaw couldn't understand why Amberpaw was lying to her face. "I was standing right here, Amberpaw!"

But she wasn't listening. Scraping one paw on the ground absently, she mumbled, "Well, that got away. Now I have to go and find another one." Frowning up at her sister, she mewed, "We can't be seen together! Go on, or Graystripe will be angry!"

"I don't care what Graystripe thinks," Hollypaw hissed. "I want to know what just happened to you!"

"Nothing did," Amberpaw argued, looking angry. "Mind your own business, Hollypaw!" And with that, she turned and dashed into the woods, disappearing with a final flick of her pale tail.

Hollypaw just stared at the place she had last been, the dead ferns still waving from her passage. _What's wrong with her? I was watching—she just had something happen to her! _

Cursing this assessment silently, she turned around and went in search or more prey.

Hollypaw waited impatiently as Graystripe slowly nosed her pile of fresh-kill, unable to keep herself from sheathing and unsheathing her claws. After Amberpaw had run away, Hollypaw had transferred all of her frustration out on the local prey. As a result, she had caught two more voles and a large pigeon.

Without changing expression, the deputy moved to Amberpaw's pile. It was significantly smaller—only two mice.

"Very well." He sat back, bringing one paw up to his mouth and licking it, drawing it over his ears.

"Well?" Hollypaw burst out. "Did we pass?"

Graystripe purred, exchanging a glance with Sorreltail. "Yes," he said at last. "You pass. I will speak to Lionstar about your ceremony." He tilted his head back to look up at the sky. "And very soon—it's nearly sunset."

Hollypaw leapt straight up into the air with a triumphant yowl. They were going to be warriors!

Amberpaw just let out a purr. "Thank you, Graystripe," she said politely, dipping her head. "And thank you, too, Sorreltail."

Her mentor dipped her tortoiseshell head. "You better go tell your mother," she said kindly. "She'll want to hear all about it."

"Great idea!" Hollypaw exclaimed, nudging Amberpaw to her feet. Plucking up her mouthful of prey and nearly tripping over the pigeon's drooping wing, Hollypaw stumbled forward.

"We'll take care of those." Graystripe tugged the bird from her grip, mumbling, "Go on now."

Dropping the rest, Hollypaw bounded away without a look back. She could hear Amberpaw's paws pounding behind her, but she didn't look over her shoulder. The memory of her sister's face twisted in pain and confusion burned in her mind like a tongue of flame.

_Why doesn't she trust me? _she questioned herself angrily, unable to see her reasoning. _We're all we have left. Now with Redpaw—_

She shut the thought down immediately.

Making a snap decision, she dug her claws in and whirled around to face Amberpaw. Her sister's yellow eyes widened in shock as she skidded to a stop.

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Amberpaw," Hollypaw started, trying to find the right words. _StarClan, I'm bad at this. _"Please tell me if you're…having any kind of problem, okay? We're sisters after all, so we should trust each other with everything."

Amberpaw's eyes softened. "Are you worried about me?" She sounded like she was choking on something. "Well, don't be. I'm fine."

"That's a load of foxdung," she spat in return, shaking her head. "I don't want you to think I would tell anything. I won't breathe a word of anything you tell me."

Her breath caught as Amberpaw looked uncertain. "Do you promise?" she asked at last.

"On my life," Hollypaw vowed at once, relief flooding her chest.

Amberpaw's eyes went to the ground, and she slowly turned over one of her forepaws, holding it out to show Hollypaw. "This. This is what has been bothering me."

Hollypaw let out a disbelieving hiss. Amberpaw's paw was bright red, with a wound covering the entirety of the pad. As she watched, wide-eyed, it pulsed brighter red. "What is it?" she whispered.

"It's a curse," Amberpaw spat bitterly. "I'm cursed." She stamped her paw on the ground, gritting her teeth. "I don't know why or from who…but I can understand better with it. More than I would like to."

"Understand?" Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. "Understand how?"

"Remember the squirrel I lost? Well, I lost it because it touched its blood. When blood gets on this…I can _see._ I see what it was thinking, its life, what its life has been like…everything."

Everything in Hollypaw was fighting against what her sister was telling her. See _through_ blood? It was impossible! "Prove it," she said at last, her voice blunt.

Amberpaw's eyes went flat. "You don't believe me." It was not a question.

"It's hard to believe," Hollypaw pointed out.

Hissing, she moved to walk past Hollypaw. "I shouldn't have told you!"

"Wait!" Hollypaw leapt in front of her, flinching at the betrayal in her sister's eyes. "Here." Holding her paw up to her mouth, she bit deep into the tender skin around the pad, wincing. Beads of blood welled up around the teeth marks. "Here," she repeated, holding it out. "Tell me what you see."

"Why should I? Why should I have to prove myself?" she demanded.

"Please," Hollypaw said softly. _Come on, Amberpaw. You have to help me out here._

Sighing, she turned back around to face Hollypaw. "Put your paw down, pad up," she ordered, holding out her own paw. Taking a deep breath, she bent forward and touched the rivulet of blood, closing her eyes and gasping.

Hollypaw watched her face closely, feeling a sting at her own paw.

Not even a pawful of heartbeats passed before Amberpaw sat back and opened her eyes, scraping her paw clean on the ground beside her. "Alright," she panted. "Well, I didn't see a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hollypaw demanded. "I don't think a lot?"

She actually laughed. "No, no. I don't really know why." She grew more serious. "I saw our birth, us playing with Redpaw, you catching your first prey—it was a blackbird—and giving it to Longtail. I watched your first Gathering. I heard you tell Jayfeather about…a dream." She winced. "That's it."

But Hollypaw knew that wasn't it. Despite her shock at what Amberpaw had just said, she couldn't hold back a squirm of discomfort. What did Amberpaw hear about her dream? Did she know she had met with Hollystar? Did she know that Jayfeather and Leafpool worried that she was a mindslave to the Dark Forest?

"Now do you believe me?" Amberpaw's voice was curt.

"Of course." Hollypaw pressed her nose into her pale fur. "I'm sorry for everything I said."

Amberpaw nuzzled her sister's ears. "It's fine. But you can't tell anyone _ever_."

"I won't," she promised, pulling back from the affectionate gesture.

"I'm serious, Hollypaw." Amberpaw's ears flattened. "You can't tell Cinderheart or Lionstar or _Jayfeather_."

"Why would I tell Jayfeather?" Hollypaw demanded.

"You've told him a lot. Most of which I wish you had kept to yourself." Her voice was curt.

Hollypaw flattened her ears. _How much did she find out? _"What I tell Jayfeather is kept in confidence."

"I bet," she sneered.

"Who is he going to tell?" Hollypaw barely kept her lip from curling. "Never mind. Let's not fight, okay?"

Amberpaw stared at her hard for another heartbeat before relaxing. "Alright. After all, it _is _our warriors' ceremony." Her eyes sparkled.

A rush of happiness filled Hollypaw and she let out a purr. This was how it should be, she mused as they padded back into the camp, the air filled with the scent of their friends and kin. If everything would stay like this forever, it would truly be perfect.

"Hollypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?" Lionstar's eyes were gleaming with pride and his chest was puffed out.

"I do," Hollypaw mewed strongly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Hollypaw, from now on, you will be known as Hollyflight. StarClan honors your courage and enthusiasm and welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He leaned forward and rested his muzzle on her head, and she licked his shoulder respectfully.

_Hollyflight! _She had to clamp her jaws shut to keep a triumphant yowl from rising out of her throat. Tail flicking with excitement, she watched with pride as her sister swore to defend the Clan.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Amberpaw, from now on, you will be known as Amberlight. StarClan honors your patience and honesty and welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Hollyflight saw Amberlight's eyes flash when Lionstar said "loyalty" and felt an uneasy squeeze in her belly. Amberpaw licked his shoulder fur briefly and pulled back, turning around to face the Clan without looking at Hollyflight.

"Hollyflight! Amberlight! Hollyflight! Amberlight!" The Clan's praise rained down upon the two new warriors.

Hollyflight lifted her head proudly, turning around to stare at Lionstar when he cleared his throat significantly.

As the noise died down, he took a deep breath. "As we welcome these two new warriors to our ranks, there is one more who deserves mention." He paused, looking between his two daughters. "Redpaw."

Hollyflight felt a dull blow to her belly at her brother's name. She closed her eyes as he went on:

"Let no cat forget that he died on his paws and fighting like a warrior. I would like to honor his spirit now." He bowed his head and fell silent.

Hollyflight looked out across the crowd to see her Clanmates doing the same thing. Cinderheart had a look of acute pain on her face, and Daisy comfortingly pressed her nose into the other she-cat's gray fur. Berrynose looked inconsolable, his blue eyes dull and unseeing. Faintpaw and Harepaw pressed close together in misery with their eyes shut tightly.

Only Rainshadow met her gaze evenly, blinking slowly when she caught his eye.

She blinked in return, comforted by his silent condolence.

"Let these new warriors guide the paws of ThunderClan into more times of peace," Lionstar mewed suddenly, startling Hollyflight. "As they watch the Clan in vigil, let us remember also what was lost on the way to this conclusion."

Hollyflight just stood there, frozen. Her warrior ceremony—which should have been a time for rejoicing in accomplishment—felt like a hollow victory. Without Redpaw here—without her little brother—was there really any point in going on with normal life? Could she really pretend that she could go on and forget him? Would there ever be a moment when she didn't regret with every fiber of her being the hateful words she had said to him?

Amberlight nuzzled her side lightly, her eyes sad.

Hollyflight understood her intent, but it didn't heal the raw wounds on her heart. She stepped away from her sister and sat in the middle of the clearing, tipping her head back to look at the early-rising members of StarClan, wondering if Redpaw had watched his littermates become warriors.

* * *

**Aaaaw, angst. XD **

**Also, every single one of you just lost the game. And in case you skip by these, I shall capitalize it. **

**YOU JUST LOST THE GAME.**

**Thank you, carry on~**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	28. Chapter 27

**Hey, guys. So, this thing ate all of my review answers, so they won't be as cool this time. }:(**

**xxSnowfirexx - Noooo, that would be suicide! I have to start on my writing classes, though, so it's gonna be pretty difficult, I would imagine. Are you majoring in Creative Writing? That's mine with a minor in Magazine Journalism. Ooooh, I love The Sight. Have you read Firebringer? That one was almost as good. I think that if David Clement-Davies wasn't old and British, I would totally marry him. XD**

**Lightkit - YES. And you have just lost the game again! :D Yup! I made them with the intention of killing them. Just like I did with Hollystar in Shattered and Hazeltail in this one. Aren't I just evil that way? XD**

**WildCroconaw - Heehee! Stay tuned to find out~**

**Icethroat21 - Yeah! I actually used the name Amberlight in one of my other fics, actually. Maybe the one about Goosefeather? I dunno: it's been so long. XD**

**violinlover71898 - I love angst, too! :D:D**

**GinnyStar - Thankies~**

**Fwirl - You just lost the game. AGAIN. :D I will watch Pandora Hearts if you read Ouran High School Host Club~**

**Amazingly awesome person - Haaaa, my sanity is always in question. ^.^ Fufufufu, you think that simply virtual cookies can get me to spare said little kitties? Hmmmmmmmm? I think not. }:D**

**.Energy - Heehee! He might~ Or I might make a giant snowstorm and make him lost forever...or he could return! :D**

**Abyss of Shadows - Heeeeeey, new reviewer/Misc-goer! Your first review ever?! -is flattered- That's so neat~ Yes, please continue to review~~~ Ah, The Game. Well, you have lost the game because you thought of the game, and you only win the game if you don't think about it. So, by reading the words "the game" and thinking about the game, you have just lost the game. Geddit? XD**

**Onto the story~**

* * *

Amberlight lay awake in the warriors' den, staring blankly up at the leafy ceiling. Around her, the peaceful sounds of her sleeping Clanmates should have been comforting, but she couldn't shake the thoughts that kept running endlessly through her mind.

And foremost among them were of Windfall.

_It's been a quarter moon, _she realized, feeling the sinking, hollow feeling in her belly. _I have seven more days to live. _

It was strange, she mused, that no matter how many times she thought of it, the realization that her time was almost up never failed to make a hard lump rise in her throat. She had told Hollyflight about her power, but she hadn't told her about the rest. _I can save her the pain, _she assured herself, but somehow, she knew she wasn't right.

Which was why she was going to tell Windfall tonight.

Time passed so slowly. It was uncanny. The waxing moon drifted past the gap in the ceiling lazily, seeming to float through the cloudless sky as gently as a feather on the surface of the lake. Every beat of her heart, every breath that she took, it all seemed slowed-down, as if she was trying to breathe underwater.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Getting up slowly, she stepped over Hollyflight's trailing tail and padded into the clearing. The moon washed the color out of the stone hollow, painting the walls silver. Harepaw was sitting guard, his ears perked. He turned as she walked over.

"Hey," she called softly. "I'll be right back."

"Lionstar said not to let anyone out of the camp," he replied, his voice uncertain. "There's been the scent of a loner in the territory. It's unsafe."

Hiding her shock with the ease of practice, she ruffled his ears with her tail. "I'll be careful."

"No." He got to his paws to face her. "I won't let you."

Her irritation sparked. "I have to go to the dirtplace. Surely Lionstar would understand."

"No," he repeated firmly.

"What's to stop me from leaving right now?" Amberlight couldn't keep her aggravation out of her voice.

"If you try, I'll yowl," he warned. "Then everyone will know you left." His sandy-brown pelt was bristling.

Not wanting to risk it, she just scoffed. "Fine. You be that way."

The apprentice's eyes were hurt. "I'm just following orders, Amberlight."

But she just turned her back on him. _Why is everything going wrong now? _she wondered angrily.

"Hey!" Ferncloud padded out of the den, stretching her hind legs. "Harepaw, Lionstar wasn't being that serious. Come on now, Amberlight, you can go."

Harepaw flattened his ears in embarrassment as his mentor gently scolded him. "Sorry," he whispered as he padded by.

She nuzzled his shoulder, making him skitter sideways. "It's alright."

Ferncloud yawned. "Be safe, won't you, dear?"

"Of course," Amberlight purred. "I might go for a little night hunting, too." _That'll give me plenty of time. _

Ferncloud frowned but said nothing more, stepping out of the way to sit at the mouth of the entrance. Her dark-dappled pelt—so much like Rainshadow's—was soon swallowed up by the shadows.

Amberlight shivered in the cold air as she set off in the direction of the ShadowClan border, her eyes fixed on the path ahead.

_I can practice while I'm walking over there, _she thought numbly. "_Windfall, I have to tell you something. I won't be around for much longer." _Her stomach twisted. _No, that's no good. How about, "Windfall, we won't be able to meet again. I'm…going away." _She spat. _That makes it seem like I'm going to the mountains or something. _

She lost focus on where she was going as her brain whirred. Only when she heard the sound of splashing did she look up to see she had nearly went headfirst into the lake. The shore rose here, creating a lifted portion of land supported by a half-sunken log that jutted from underneath the soil. A rain of pebbles cascaded down the side of the small height and hit the water, shattering her clear reflection.

She twisted her lips wryly. _I wonder if that's a sign. _

"Amberpaw!" Windfall's pelt was a flash of light over the dark water. "You're early!"

"So are you," she pointed out, stretching out to touch her nose to his. "And it's Amber_light _now."

"Ah, congratulations! I guess that means I might meet you in battle one day." His pale blue eyes glinted. Suddenly, he looked closer at her and his amusement vanished. "What's wrong?"

_Okay, just go for it. _But as much as she urged herself on, she couldn't bring the words to her lips.

"Is it ThunderClan?" he demanded. "Is someone bothering you? You just tell me who it is and at the next Gathering I'll have some strongly-worded advice for them."

"No, it's not that." Her throat was dry as sand.

"Then what? What's wrong?" His eyes softened. "Is it your brother?"

She shook her head.

"Amberpaw—Amberlight—don't be afraid to tell me anything, okay? I mean, if something's bothering you, you can always come and talk to me about it, alright? I won't judge you or—"

"I'm going to die," she interrupted, stopping him in mid-word. Her heart was hammering so hard she could have sworn he could hear it.

He looked surprised. "Well, me, too," he said jokingly. "One day."

"No." Her teeth ground together; she couldn't bear to look him in the face. "I mean soon. I'm going to die in the next quarter moon."

His breath hitched. "Don't be stupid," he said roughly. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Because it's true," she whispered, digging her claws into the loose soil. "I've known for a while now. On the day of the next season, I'm going to die."

"Amberlight, that's insane. What in the world would make you think that, huh?" He reached out with a paw and shook her. "Look at me!"

Reluctantly, she looked up into his sharp gaze. "I had a dream," she explained miserably. "They came and told me that my blood would be needed for something. And then they gave me this." She turned over her paw, displaying the raw flesh to his disbelieving eyes.

"Oh… Did you show your medicine cat?"

"What would it help?" She stamped her paw back on the ground. "It won't help anything. I'm going to die and there's nothing me or anyone else can do about it."

"Don't say that," he growled. "Don't ever say that again, Amberlight. Nothing is going to happen to you, do you understand me?" He padded closer and rested his chin on top of her head, breathing hard as if he had been running. "You're mistaken, that's all. Don't say that you're going to die."

Though her heart was cold from the realization of her soon-approaching death, a flutter of warmth flooded her belly from his close presence. She closed her eyes and buried her muzzle in his thick fur, breathing in his comforting scent. "I know I am, Windfall. I know somehow that it's true." She pulled back and looked up at his stricken face. "I just want you to know…that…that I…"

"Don't," he whispered. "Don't say anything else. We'll figure out a way to—"

But she was already shaking her head. "There's no saving me," she said hollowly. "I've already accepted it."

"No!" His snarl was almost savage. "I'll do it! I _will _save you, Amberlight! No one's going to—" He cut off, letting out a short breath of desperation. "I won't let them!"

A lump rose in her throat. "I don't understand why it's me," she murmured shakily. "They told me it's for my leaders' blood—that it's because I'm related to so many old ThunderClan leaders. I don't know what they'll want me to do…but it's coming soon."

His claws slowly sank into the cold ground. "So it's because of him again, is it?" he spat out.

_Again. _She knew he was talking about Lionstar. _He must mean Skypaw, _she thought, with a plummeting sensation in her belly. "Don't," she pleaded. "It's not because of my father."

"You said leaders' blood," he hissed. "Your father is a leader. His sister was a leader. Their grandfathers were both leaders! Don't you see? It's all because of him _again! _It's because of him that…that…" He was running out of anger, but his eyes still blazed with the strength of his hatred.

But Amberlight had no words to dissuade him. She fell into him, pressing her cheek against his chest and hearing the steady beating of his heart under the soft fur. "I still have a few more days," she whispered. "I still have time."

"Not enough." She saw his throat convulse as he tried to swallow. "Not nearly enough. Amberlight, I…please, don't…"

"There's no escaping it." She closed her eyes, trying to think of nothing but his closeness. "Let's just enjoy what time we have left, okay?"

"No, I have a better idea." He pulled away from her, looking down into her eyes with his own gleaming gaze. "Let's run away. We can escape it! You won't have to do anything!"

"I can't run from it," she protested lightly, hating the way his face crumpled at her words. "It's not something I can run from. I…I think that if I don't do it…something bad will happen to the cats I care about. My sister, my parents…you." She took a deep breath. "I'd give up my life this instant if it meant you could be happy."

"I can't be happy if you aren't with me, Amberlight." His gaze was agonized. "I'll go instead of you. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, I swear it. I'll go for you! I'd do it for _you_!"

Now she couldn't keep the sob from escaping her throat. "No," she said shakily, twisting her head from side to side. "No, Windfall."

"I wouldn't mind." He placed his paw over hers, his voice low and insistent. "What do you think I can do after this? You think I can just go on and live my life without you?" He closed his eyes in pain. "No. When you die—_if_ you die—I'll be gone as well."

"Windfall!" But he bit off her protest with a sweep of his paw.

"No, listen to me, Amberlight. When we met, I was broken. I didn't know how I could get through my life knowing—_knowing_—that everyone I loved was gone. Skypaw was gone, my father and mother betrayed me…I was wandering around in darkness without even knowing it. StarClan knows I tried to be normal, tried to fit in with the rest of my Clan; I tried so hard to be _here _and not in the past, so hard that I didn't even know I was losing myself. I was drowning." He looked up into her eyes, his own gaze so soft. "Then I met you. You brought me back to the surface, Amberlight. If we hadn't have met that day…I would be gone, a shadow. You _saved_ me."

"Windfall…"

"No," he said strongly. "It's true. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're the most important thing in the world to me, Amberlight. My life, my spirit…everything. Nothing means more to me than you do." He pressed his cheek against hers. "I can't even imagine going through a day if I didn't know that you would be waiting for me here."

She let out a purr of happiness. "No, it's the same with me," she whispered. "I feel the same way."

"Even though I'm a ShadowClan cat?" he pressed. "Even though my Clanmates hate yours?"

"It doesn't matter," she mewed. "All that matters to me is you. If—" She broke off, flipping her head over her shoulder to stare in the direction of the sudden noise.

"Who's there?" Windfall called, his neck fur bristling. "Come out now, I heard you."

"Then hear this, stink-pelt," the cat mewed, stepping out of the shadow of the undergrowth and into the little space near the shoreline, amber eyes hostile and wide with disbelief. "Get away from my sister."

Amberlight's heart froze. "Hollyflight," she rasped. "What are you doing here?"

"You think I wouldn't notice if you slipped away?" Her voice was thick with scorn. "Don't take me for a fool, Amberlight."

"Get out of here," Windfall hissed. "You have no right to be here."

"And you do? You're on ThunderClan land!" Hollyflight's eyes whipped back to Amberlight. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," Amberlight said at once, falling back on her well-used strategy of lying. "I was hunting and came across Windfall here—"

"Liar." Hollyflight's voice was like a blow across the face. "I heard you. You just lied to me—right to my face!" Her voice was disbelieving.

"Hollyflight—"

"No!" she hissed. "Don't bother. I thought we had promised to be truthful to each other, _sister._ Have you gone back on that promise so quickly?" She looked between the two of them, her eyes widening. "You…you're meeting him here, aren't you? This is where you've been disappearing to!"

"It's none of your business," Windfall snapped.

"Shut up!" Hollyflight snarled. "Well?" she demanded. "Is it true? You've been meeting him here?"

Amberlight exchanged a look with Windfall. "Yes," she mewed steadily, meeting her sister's gaze evenly. "It's true."

Hollyflight's jaws dropped. "I saw you at the Gatherings, noticed you on border patrols, but I never thought that it would come to this." Her eyes were flat—all of the usual playfully grudging affection out of the amber depths. "Get out of ThunderClan territory," she rasped.

Windfall bridled, but Amberlight mewed, "Don't. Just go, Windfall."

"I was talking to the both of you." Hollyflight's voice was taut with fury. "Get out, Amberlight. You're no longer welcome in ThunderClan. You know we don't take well to traitors."

"Hey!" Windfall snapped. "You can't decide that for someone else! Who died and made you leader?"

"I'm sure Lionstar will come to the same conclusion when I report this. I have a duty to the Clan—something you seem to have forgotten about, Amberlight." Her eyes searched Amberlight's, a look of deep confusion in her gaze. "I don't even recognize you," she said bluntly. "You're not the same cat you used to be. Meeting cats from other Clans, sneaking out at night, lying to your own kin… Who _are _you, Amberlight? Because you're _not_ the same cat I grew up with!"

"Cats change, Hollyflight!" A surge of panic was rising in Amberlight's chest. "You can't expect me to stay the same cat I was when I was a kit! I've grown up! You'd do well to do some growing up yourself!"

Hollyflight's eyes blazed. "Don't talk that way to me!" she hissed, claws unsheathing. "It's not growing up—you've changed for the worse."

Amberlight let out a snarl of fury; she had never felt this angry in her life. "Don't pretend you know what I'm thinking! Redpaw is _dead, _Hollyflight! It's time you realized that—he won't be coming back!"

Hollyflight let out a challenging yowl and stepped forward, the fur along her spine bristling.

Windfall couldn't take it any longer. "Why don't you shut up, ThunderClan rat?" he growled. "You're going to turn in your own sister?"

Hollyflight's cold gaze barely grazed over him. "I have no sister," she said stiffly.

Amberlight gasped softly. "How can you say that?" she mewed breathlessly. "I do one wrong thing—one thing that's for _me _and no one else—and you turn on me? Who are _you_, Hollyflight?"

"One wrong thing?" Hollyflight echoed. "_One_? You're a liar, Amberlight! A liar and a traitor to the warrior code! You didn't just betray me tonight: you betrayed Lionstar and Cinderheart and _everyone _in the Clan!"

"If you don't turn around and leave right now," Windfall growled, his voice deadly calm, "I will make sure you have some marks to remember this night by."

Hollyflight marched right up to him—nose to nose—and snarled, "I'd like to see you try it, stink-pelt. Come on, coward! Attack me!" She stood in front of him, chest puffed out, proud and defiant.

"Stop!" Amberlight cried, but Windfall had already lost his temper—he bowled Hollyflight over and over, rolling precariously close to the drop into icy water. Having seen the power of Windfall's blows, she was terrified for her sister.

But she had underestimated her.

While Amberlight had been meeting Windfall, Hollyflight had been training. While she was short on sleep and exhausted, Hollyflight was fit and strong, and for each slash Windfall dealt her, she responded with two of her own, her lips drawn back savagely as her claws glittered in the moonlight.

And soon, she had gotten the upperpaw. Wrapping one paw around his throat and bracing herself on his neck with the other, she pinned his hind paws with one of her own and used the other to balance herself against a tree root.

Windfall's eyes widened as he choked for air, slashing wildly with one forepaw. The blows caught along Hollyflight's shoulder, ripping out a strip of gray fur, but she didn't even flinch. Her eyes were cold as she watched him struggle.

"Stop!" Amberlight screeched, moving to try and drag Hollyflight off of the WindClan tom, but she held on stubbornly.

"Why?" she demanded harshly, readjusting her grip on his neck. "This is it, Amberlight: I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. You can come back to ThunderClan and I won't breathe a word of this if you answer one simple question."

"What is it?" Amberlight had eyes only for Windfall, who was still and panting now, his eyes fixed hatefully on Hollyflight's face.

Hollyflight's expression hardened. "Do you love him?"

The question stopped Amberlight dead. "W-what?"

"You heard what I said. Tell me: Do you love him? Are you willing to give up your Clan and kin for him? Would you continue to lie to ThunderClan to meet with him? Is he _that_ important to you?" Her eyes flickered. "More important than me?"

"What kind of question is that?" Amberlight's fur bristled with fury. "Why should I have to answer to you?"

"Is it that difficult of a question?" Hollyflight asked bluntly. "What's the answer? Do you choose ThunderClan or _him_?" She jerked her head to motion to Windfall, who was staring intently at Amberlight.

She stared back at him, her heart sinking. Why had Hollyflight done this? If she admitted she loved Winfall—which she wasn't sure she did—she would be condemning herself to live outside ThunderClan. But if she told Hollyflight he was nothing to her…then she might break him.

"Go on, Amberlight," Windfall urged, baring his teeth as Hollyflight hissed down at him. "Tell her."

"Well?" Hollyflight snapped. "What's your answer?"

Amberlight looked between them—her sister that she had known all of her life, and the most important cat to her in the whole world. "No," she mewed at last.

"No?" Hollyflight tilted her head. "No, what? No, you refuse to answer or no, you don't love him?"

"No," she repeated. "I don't love him."

Out of the corner of her eye—she didn't dare look down at him—she saw Windfall wilt under Hollyflight's claws. He struggled out of her grip and sat down hard, his fur ruffled and one cheek dripping blood in rivulets that matted his white fur together.

Looking satisfied, Hollyflight didn't make a move to attack him again. "Let's go, Amberlight."

Amberlight cast one quick glance at Windfall; he looked back fiercely, his pale eyes glittering. "If it's what you want," was all he said.

With Hollyflight watching, she couldn't do much. _It's not true. _She tried to convey her words through her eyes, staring down intently into his eyes. _It's not true. It's a lie._ _StarClan forgive me, it's a lie._

Windfall didn't make any motion that he had understood. Gathering himself up, he slowly turned and padded away towards the shadowy forest as Amberlight turned to follow after her sister, the prospect of losing him much more terrifying than the thought of the days to come.

* * *

**Ugh, I suck at fluff. Sorry if it was corny--which it most likely is. **

**Anyhoo, R&R~**

**Shadow**


	29. Chapter 28

**Urggg, so my beloved Lappy caught a Trojan virus apparently, and it's going to be in the shop for a while. So this will be the last update for a while, until I get it back. Sorry! :(**

**Abyss of Shadows - Right. And, because I just read your review again, I just lost the game AGAIN. D: Did...did you just point out an error? -flyingtackleglomps- You are officially my new best friend. I have been DYING for a reviewer to finally do that. P.S., I do read your P.S.'s. XD**

**xXSnowfireXx - Heehee! Don't hate dear Hollyflight--she definitely is very ticked off at her sister right now. :P I'm on a campus, but I have an online class too. ^.^**

**Lightkit - Aaaaand, you just lost the game again. :D Heehee! Yes, Hollyflight is definitely a moment killer. :P Aaaw, I really hate writing fluff, but it's so necessary, y'know?**

**Icethroat21 - Haaaa, I dunno. I'm pretty dang bad. XD I try to skip a bit, but sometimes, you just need a little fluff. ^.^**

**Loststream - Heeeeeey, new reviewer~ -waves- Nooo, Hollyflight is definitely not a reincarnation. She's just...different. :P**

**silverstarfan - I'm sure every forbidden romance seems similar. ^.^**

**Amazingly awesome person - Hmmm, maybe. Or maybe not. }:D You'll have to read and find out~ Aaaw, you want Windfall to die? Heeheehee...**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

"Come on!" Redpaw called. "Let's keep going a little longer!"

Crescent and Winnie, their pelts smudged dingy gray with dirt, glared at him halfheartedly, too exhausted to do anymore.

"Can't we rest now?" Crescent mewed plaintively. "We've been going like this for days!"

"Just a little longer," Redpaw repeated, turning back around to look at his surroundings. "Just a bit further."

"Don't you recognize anything yet?" Winnie asked cautiously. "Any of the trees look familiar?"

Redpaw ached to say they did. He wanted to reassure them that they were going the right way back to ThunderClan, but in all honesty, he had no idea where they were. Every row of oak trees looked just the same as the one before that, every rock was shaped the same way, even the bend of long grass looked the same!

And Redpaw had sworn himself to honesty. October had never faltered to tell him exactly how it was, and Redpaw would do anything to keep a portion of the older tom's high spirits alive.

"I don't know where we are," he told them, flicking his tail. "But we'll get there eventually."

Crescent exchanged a look with his sister, his expression distinctly disgruntled.

"Crescent?" Redpaw prompted.

The white tom didn't say anything at first. Then, "Well, it's just we've been wandering around here for the past quarter-moon. Didn't the fox get you all the way to us in one day?"

"It was running and it had longer legs than us. Not to mention it took _all day long._" Redpaw bit his lip, knowing he was being too harsh. All the days of walking had worn him out as well, but if he lost him temper again, something bad could happen. _Again._ "Sorry," he said quickly. "Let's just keep going for a little longer, okay?"

"Fine." Crescent nodded jerkily, falling into step beside Redpaw as they began to pad off again.

The sun was setting soon enough, a fiery orange light in the sky that painted the trees with long shadows and sent most prey into their burrows for the night. The cold wind bent the scraggly trees, eliciting creaks and groans that sounded like a cat in pain, a thought that didn't escape the trio of cats.

"Do you want to stop here for the night?" Winnie suggested, her blue eyes wide as she looked around the gray, shadowy place.

"Might as well," Crescent grumbled. "I mean, there's really no place better, right?"

"Right." Redpaw brushed past his shoulder on his way after Winnie. "Sorry."

"It's no big. We're all just a little prickly from lack of sleep." As usual, his good humor made everything easy to brush aside. "Tomorrow will be much better."

"I hope so," Redpaw sighed, setting his ears flat. "To be honest, all of this forest is starting to look the same. I hope we're not walking in circles."

"We aren't," Crescent said confidently.

"Oh?" Redpaw was surprised. "How do you know?"

"Because we haven't gotten back to the old pipe yet!" He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Redpaw laughed. "I meant smaller circles."

"I know." Crescent's eyes gleamed in amusement. "But I'm still sure we haven't gone in circles. We would have seen our pawprints again, hopefully."

"_Hopefully" being the key word. _Redpaw yawned widely, arching his back in a stretch as he flopped down next to Winnie. "Let's all try to get a good night's rest."

"I'll take first watch," she volunteered. "I'll wake you up at midnight."

"Aaw, that means I get dawn again," Crescent complained teasingly. "I think you're doing this on purpose, Winnie."

She swatted at his head with one paw, scraping through his thick white fur. "Oh, shut up," she purred.

"Redpaw, aren't you going to show us a battle move?" Crescent was barely audible through a huge yawn.

Cursing the white tom internally, he mewed, "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Oh, come on!" Winnie prodded his side with a forepaw. "You're backing out on us, hmm?"

Groaning, Redpaw got to his paws slowly, falling into a lame half-crouch. "Okay. If you're being attacked from the front, do this." He pawed halfheartedly at the air in front of him. "That way you'll scratch them, you see."

"Phh! That's stupid!" Crescent scoffed. "Be serious."

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Redpaw really concentrated this time, rearing up on his hind paws and wrapping his front paws in the air, imagining a cat's neck there. "Alright, see here? If you do this, the only place they can grab is your scruff—if you even let them." Falling back on all fours, he nodded to them. "That's it."

"Aw, that wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be," Crescent whined.

"Sorry," Redpaw mewed lightly, falling over on his side and raising a puff of gray dust. Frowning, he sniffed delicately at the ground. "This is ash!"

Winnie padded forward next to him and looked at the ground, lifting a paw when the soot caked to her pads. "I wonder if there was a fire or something."

Redpaw lifted his head to look around. "None of the trees around here are burnt, though."

"Maybe it was a twoleg?" Crescent suggested. "A firespot like we used to have, maybe?"

"I dunno." Redpaw shuffled the heap away from his face so it wouldn't tickle his whiskers. "That's probably it, I suppose."

For some reason, even after Crescent had fallen asleep and Winnie had trotted off to do her watch, the idea of ash being here bothered Redpaw—for some reason that he couldn't really place. It could have just been twolegs as Crescent had suggested, but why wasn't there any scent of the perpetrators? There wasn't even any twoleg stuff lying around—they had to make the fire somehow. Not to mention that this ash was flaky, flat squares of peeled bark almost.

The only soot he had seen like this was from burning trees one time when he was a kit. Lightning had struck a tree and ash had fallen from the sky like rain. He and his sisters had frolicked around under the falling petals of burnt wood, not knowing that the same fire had ravaged ShadowClan's territory almost to destruction.

He closed his eyes and curled his tail over his nose, trying to push it out of his mind. _It's just ash, for StarClan's sake. It's not a big deal. _

Redpaw's dreams were filled with terror again, like so many other nights of sleepless nightmares. October's face filled his vision and the older tom's mouth was moving as if he was speaking, but no discernable sound came out.

"What?" Redpaw yowled. "What are you saying?"

October repeated what he had said, his expression getting more and more worried. His dark blue eyes reflected flames that came from behind Redpaw.

Whirling, Redpaw let out a yowl of fright as the inferno landed right in front of him, setting the ground ablaze with its fiery fury. The fire whipped up a gale of cinders, singing Redpaw's pelt as he turned to dodge out of the way, but everywhere he turned, the river of fire surged ahead of him, blocking his path. He coughed, choking on smoke, and stumbled blindly forward, his ears pricked for any sound over the roar of the flames.

"Redpaw! Redpaw!"

He didn't recognize the voice but turned towards it instinctively, squinting through the blaze of light to see a pair of gleaming eyes staring at him through a gap in the wall of fire. He lunged forward, leaping up and through the hole to fall on his side, the breath knocked out of him.

A fierce searing pain lanced up his side, and he looked down to see a patch of his fur had burned away down his flank. Yelping in fright and pain, he leapt to his paws, his teeth bared as if he could bite the fire.

"Redpaw!"

Redpaw blinked open his eyes to see Winnie standing in front of him, her eyes wide and scared. "Are you okay?" she demanded.

Redpaw blinked rapidly. Looking down, he saw that he was on his paws, the claws sunk deep into the ground. "Uhh…good morning, Winnie."

She just stared at him as if he was an idiot. "What were you doing just now?"

"Sleeping?" he guessed meekly, startled by her sudden outburst.

"No." Her voice was clipped. "You were yowling and carrying on. I couldn't wake you up for your watch because you were sleeping so deeply, and now when we tried to wake you up just now, Crescent had to shove you over. Then you got up and wacked him."

Alarmed now, Redpaw whirled to face Crescent, who was staring at Redpaw with amusement. "Lookee here!" He turned to display his shoulder, four red lines crossing through the white fur.

"Oh, StarClan! I'm so sorry, Crescent!" Redpaw didn't know what to say. "I guess I was really tired. Sorry I didn't go on watch."

"It's fine." Winnie brushed against his shoulder, nuzzling the side of his neck. "You get the dawn one next time to make up for it."

Crescent cleared his throat significantly, shouldering in between Winnie and Redpaw. "We should get going, shouldn't we?" His blue gaze was especially sharp on Redpaw.

Confused, Redpaw nodded, following after Crescent as he led the way up the side of the clearing.

_What was with that dream? _Redpaw wondered as they padded along the small pathway they had taken the previous day. _I've never had strong dreams like that before…maybe it was a sign. _He was hesitant to think the thought, but he couldn't repress it.

Could StarClan be trying to get his attention? Were they _real_ in the first place?

_This is stupid, _Redpaw thought, shaking off his dismal ponderings. _Focus on what's right in front of you, alright? Stop being so…not you. _

Winnie and Crescent were murmuring close together, making Redpaw wonder if they were talking about him. Twin blue gazes shot back obliquely to look at him and he knew he was correct.

"Redpaw, does this look familiar?" Winnie seemed rather desperate to distract him from questioning their conversation. "It looks like there are more pine trees here now."

Giving her a bland look, he lifted his head to stare at the needleless trees above them, cocking his head to the side. "Maybe we're getting close!" he mewed, excited. "ShadowClan territory is full of pine trees!"

Something shifted in the bushes to the side of them.

Redpaw immediately leapt forward in front of Winnie and Crescent, shoving them behind him as he fell into the ever-so-familiar crouch, his teeth bared and his fur bristling. "Who's there?" he called out.

_Foxes, _he thought immediately. _Badgers, twolegs, rogues…_ He mentally listed every threat he could possibly think of, imagining every scenario he could so he would be ready.

But he didn't expect what came next.

A bright yellow, shiny surface was approaching rapidly, dwarfing the bush that he thought the noise had come from. It crushed the holly bush under its round black paws, snorting and spewing smoke as it chewed up the trees around it.

"Holy…" Crescent's eyes were so wide they looked in danger of popping out. "What is that?!"

"Get out of the way!" Redpaw yowled, shoving them backwards. "Back up, back up!"

The three cats fled from the monster, running blindly in the other direction from the rapidly-approaching monster.

Redpaw almost missed Winnie as she dove into a hole in the ground, her white pelt disappearing in a flash. He swerved, yowling wordlessly to Crescent as he followed her down.

Skidding and sliding, Redpaw collided with Winnie, knocking her flat against the far wall. "Sorry," he muttered, trying to scoot over but there just wasn't enough room. "I guess this is an old badger set."

"I guess," she responded in a deadpan voice, half of her body crushed into the rocky wall. "Where's Crescent?"

Redpaw started. "He didn't follow me down!" he spat, cursing the younger tom. "I'll go get him."

"Be careful." Winnie's voice—muffled as it was—was concerned.

"I will be." He licked her cheek quickly before clambering back up the tunnel, his heart racing. Where could that idiot tom have gotten to?

He didn't have to wait for an answer.

Crescent's loud, excited yowl rang out through the forest, high-pitched with adrenaline.

Redpaw ran straight for the sound, ignoring the tearing of his fur as it caught along dead branches and brambles. "Crescent!" he yowled. "Where are you?"

There was a deep snarling sound just in front of him, and he skidded to a halt as he saw a flash of white dash past. He shoved himself through a bramble clump, watching with wide eyes the scene in front of him.

Every hair on Crescent's fluffy pelt was on end and his claws were unsheathed as he faced down a dog twice his size, its slavering teeth bared and its short black-and-white pelt bristling. The savage snarling was coming from its open mouth, and as Redpaw watched, it leapt right for Crescent, who didn't move.

Laughing low in his throat, Crescent dodged the dog, whirling to slash his claws down its flank as it ran by. "Come on, you piece of trash!" he was yowling. "Let's see you grab me this time!"

Alerted by his words, Redpaw saw a rivulet of scarlet blood matting the fur of his shoulder. The gleam of pink skin was visible under the blood but the wound didn't seem to be holding Crescent back as he leapt forward and landed on the dog's back, sinking his teeth into its scruff and raking his claws down its sides.

Redpaw lunged forward, slashing the dog's muzzle until red blood ran down its jawline. "Crescent, you idiot, what do you think you're doing?!"

"He bit me!" was Crescent's answer, his tone making it clear he was challenging Redpaw's sanity. "No one bites me and gets away with it!" He accented his words by sinking his teeth into the dog's ear.

Enraged, the dog knocked Redpaw flat on his back with one kick of a forepaw, rearing back on its hind paws and slamming back down, dislodging Crescent, who hit the ground with a thud. Crescent wrapped his paws around its neck and bit deep into the loose skin of its throat. Shaking him fiercely, the dog sank its teeth into Crescent's bared throat, using its grip to slam him onto the ground with enough force for Redpaw to feel the ground shake.

"No!"

Redpaw looked up, dazed by his fall, to see Winnie coming to her brother's rescue. She screamed at the dog as she launched herself at its side, shredding the white fur there until it turned crimson, her blue eyes alight with a murderous fury.

"You let go of my brother!" she shrieked.

"Crescent!" Redpaw rasped hoarsely, lurching to his paws to stumble over to the dog again, his head swimming. "Crescent, move!"

But Crescent didn't move.

The dog, seeing two new foes enter the fight, quickly tucked its tail and fled back towards the twoleg monster.

"Crescent!" Winnie darted to her brother's side, her eyes widening when she saw his bloodstained throat. "Oh, no. Oh, no!"

Redpaw's heart stopped when he saw how thickly the blood lay on Crescent's white pelt. "No!" he cried, disbelieving.

Winnie fell to the ground, her mouth open in a wail. "Not you, too! Not Mother and Uncle _and _you, Crescent! Wake up! Open your eyes!"

Redpaw sat down hard, closing his eyes so as not to see his friend's still form.

There was a space of silence in Winnie's sobs. "What…?"

Redpaw opened his eyes to see her staring at her brother in shock. "Winnie…"

"No, Redpaw, _look!_" she hissed. She licked Crescent's ear furiously, nudging his head.

Unbelievably, his eyes flickered open and he lifted his head. "Oh…ow!" he said, surprised.

"What…? You're…alive?" Redpaw barreled into the white tom, purring loudly. "How are you alive? Your throat…"

Looking confused, Crescent shoved his sister and his friend off of him, lifting one paw to his neck. "Oh, well that's not _my_blood. That's the dog's blood." He looked up at Redpaw, eyes gleaming. "Good thing you taught me that battle move, huh?"

"Then why were you just laying there?!" Winnie snapped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you stupid idiot!"

"Well, I guess I got knocked out." He shrugged, looking amused.

"This isn't funny, moron!" Winnie raged. "I thought you were _dead!_"

"Well…I'm not," he said helpfully, getting to his paws and shaking out his fur.

Winnie just glared poisonously at him for a moment longer before pressing her nose into his neck fur. "Try not to brainlessly attack a dog again, okay?"

"Hey, I can't promise that," Crescent joked, quickly backtracking at the look on Winnie's face. "Okay, okay!"

Redpaw repressed the urge to roll his eyes. _How am I going to be able to get back to the Clans like this? Will ThunderClan even accept them? _Then he thought of the kittypets that already filled the Clan—Daisy, Millie, even Firestar when he was alive was said to be a kittypet. _And they aren't kittypets in the first place, _he argued with himself.

"We should rest a bit more now," Winnie suggested, already flopping down to wash her brother's pelt of blood, wrinkling her nose at the taste.

Redpaw itched to get going again, but consented. "Fine. But not for long." _They don't have the stamina you do, _he reminded himself, forcing himself to be patient. He sat down next to Crescent and began to groom his side, spitting out a mouthful of long white hairs for his trouble. "Stop squirming."

"It tickles!" Crescent complained.

"Better it tickles that it hurts," Winnie pointed out, poking him sharply with a paw. "Now shut up and hold still."

Twisting his lips, her brother looked away. "You're mean."

"Good." But her voice was light and relieved.

Redpaw couldn't help but agree with her. Somehow, unimaginable to the cat he was moons ago, these two cats were as important to him as his own blood siblings. It went deeper than responsibility—it was as if they belonged together, like they were meant to be together. Maybe StarClan had sent them to him?

_Yeah, _he scoffed. _Or maybe hedgehogs will fly._

He was startled out of his reverie by Winnie's impatient throat clearing. Realizing she had said something, he stuttered, "Er, what?"

"I asked if you knew what that thing was doing here." She tilted her ears in the direction of the twoleg monster.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "Nothing good for sure."

"We should investigate it." Crescent's voice was muffled from his muzzle resting on the ground.

"Why would we do that?" Redpaw demanded. "What's it to you?"

"Well," Crescent said importantly, drawing himself up and looking at Redpaw with gleaming eyes, "I smell cats."

Redpaw blinked. "Cats?"

"You know: long tails, ears, paws. They look a little like you and me…"

"That's not what I meant," Redpaw snapped. "I meant, when did you smell cats?"

"Hmm." He cocked his head to one side, thinking. "Right before we found that monster."

Hissing, Redpaw got to his paws. "And you didn't bother to mention it?"

He looked surprised. "No…? It was only one cat. I thought it might be another rogue." He yawned widely, displaying two rows of white teeth.

Winnie looked like she was having a hard time controlling her temper. "Crescent, you should have said something!"

"Oh, well…sorry."

Growling low in his throat, Redpaw dug his claws into the ground. "We might be close to the Clans, then. I've never been in the back of the territories, but it's possible that we might be near ShadowClan. Let's go and take a look."

Crescent got guiltily to his paws. "Sorry, Redpaw," he mumbled.

"Don't be. It's fine." But despite his words, Redpaw felt a sting of anger. They could have been padding in the wrong direction ever since then!

It was easy to find the path back to the monster—the ground was churned up from Crescent and the dog's fight, and clumps of white fur littered the sides of the trail. It wasn't long before the stink of the monster filled Redpaw's nostrils and the roar of it rumbled the ground below their paws.

"It was back there," Crescent whispered, eyes nervously casting about.

Winnie leapt up onto a low-lying branch, her tail waving in the slight breeze as she peeked over the leaves. "I think I can see a cat," she called down. "The monster's gone away now—it won't bother us."

Redpaw took her word for it. "Where's the cat?"

For her answer, she leapt down on the other side of the branch and took off, leaving Redpaw and Crescent to race after her. He could just see her white pelt flashing through the ash-covered bushes as she ran ahead of them.

Suddenly, Redpaw was knocked off his paws. "What are you doing here?" a voice—unmistakably male—rasped close to his ear. "I don't take lightly to rogues."

Redpaw hissed, spinning around and dislodging the cat, sending him flying into a soot-filled bush. A puff of ash rose after him. Winnie quickly turned tail to stand at Redpaw's side, Crescent trotting up beside her.

"What's your problem?" Redpaw demanded, impressed with himself. Other than sparring with October and the two kits, he hadn't been in a fight in _ages. _"We're passing through—we mean you no harm."

Coughing, the cat shouldered out of the bush, covered in a thick layer of ash. "I don't need a reason," he explained. "I can do what I want."

But somehow, the cat looked familiar. Squinting and sniffing at the air, he mewed, "Do I know you?"

The cat's pale eyes narrowed. "I don't know anyone, alright? Just leave me be." He turned to leave, but Redpaw jumped in front of him, making the cat's eyes flare angrily.

"Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" Redpaw snapped, flattening his ears.

Suddenly, the cat froze. His eyes moved carefully over Redpaw, a look of confusion on his face. "No," he breathed. "It couldn't be… Redpaw?"

Redpaw blinked. He looked closer at the cat, tilting his head to the side. "How do you know me?"

The other cat didn't seem to hear him; he sat down and began to busily wash his pelt, cringing at the taste of the ash. "Your Clan is going to be pretty surprised to see you," he noted, his voice dull.

"Who are you?"

Stopping in mid-lick, the cat shot him an irritated look. "I guess your brain's gone soft," he scoffed. "Remember? The ShadowClan warrior you met on the border?"

"Windfall?" Redpaw gasped. "Why…why are you so far away from the Clans?"

"It's not that far away," Windfall said dryly. He jerked his head to the side, motioning into the forest. "Maybe half a day's walk that way."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Crescent and Winnie just stood awkwardly in the background, not sure how to react. Redpaw knew the feeling.

"I don't belong to the Clans anymore," Windfall went on. "I left. There's no reason for me to be there."

"Aren't you a warrior?" Redpaw demanded.

Windfall shot him a disgusted look. "Aren't _you_? It's been moons, Redpaw. You couldn't have found your way back before then? Your Clan thinks you're dead!"

Redpaw sat down hard. "They think…I'm dead?" He had already figured that, but to hear it from another cat was disorienting.

"Your sister was heartbroken." Windfall's eyes didn't spark with a single emotion—they looked flat, dead.

"My _sister?_"

"Hollyflight."

_So they got their warrior names. _"What about Amberpaw?"

That got a reaction. Windfall's eyes narrowed and his lips drew back slightly. "Amberlight? Same."

"Wow," Redpaw breathed. "I didn't know…"

"And who's this?" Windfall peered around Redpaw's shoulder to look at the two white littermates. "Kittypets you picked up?"

Ignoring this, Redpaw motioned them forward. "This is Crescent and Winnie. They're my friends."

"Nice to meet you," Windfall said in a deadpan voice. "Anyway, you should get going." He got to his paws, not bothering to wash his pelt anymore—the white fur was dingy and matted, a show of days of neglect.

"Where are you going?" As much as he hated it, Redpaw felt a pang of sympathy for this cat for reasons he didn't really know. Something about his expression pierced Redpaw's heart. It was as if he had lost a Clanmate.

"Nowhere. Anywhere." Windfall shrugged, already walking away. "Anywhere but here."

"You should come with us." Winnie's voice was unexpected. Redpaw turned just in time to see her eyes were soft as she looked at Windfall. "We're going to the Clans as well."

Windfall stopped, one paw in midair. "I don't think I'll be welcomed back, you see," he said without turning around. "I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with ShadowClan. There's nothing for me there."

"You should stop pitying yourself," Winnie went on. "It doesn't do anyone any good."

With a growl, Windfall whipped around and marched up to her, his eyes hostile. "Don't pretend you know me," he snarled.

Winnie didn't even flinch. "I can tell," she mewed calmly. "I can see it in your expression."

"See what?" Windfall's voice was taunting.

"You're hurting."

Windfall's whiskers twitched. "Hurting?" he echoed. "Hurting? Oh, yes, I'm hurting." His voice was full of painful-sounding laughter. "That's an understatement."

"Please come with us," Winnie repeated. "We can help you."

"No one can help me," Windfall mewed, his voice ragged. "I can't even help—" He cut off abruptly. "Anyway, it's no good. I've already decided to go." He turned and nodded to Redpaw. "Good luck, Redpaw."

"Let me at least catch you some prey before you go," Redpaw suggested. "You look dead on your paws."

Windfall snorted. "Soft-hearted ThunderClan cat," he spat softly.

Taking that as an affirmative, Redpaw nodded to Crescent. "Winnie, why don't you stay here?"

But she was already sitting next to Windfall. "Do you want to share tongues?" she asked him gently, shooting a quick look up at Redpaw. "Your pelt's looking a little worse for the wear."

Windfall grumbled out, "I can wash my own pelt," his voice barely intelligible, but allowed Winnie to begin to wash his ears, a scowl on his face the whole time.

Redpaw barely held back a laugh as he watched the she-cat set up a constant stream of chatter, trying to make him comfortable.

Crescent shot the white tabby a look of deep distrust. "Do you think he's a threat?" he asked in a low voice as they made their way into the forest, keeping one wary eye in the direction the monster had taken.

Redpaw shook his head. "No, he's all talk."

"He's in an enemy Clan, right? He mentioned ShadowClan."

"Yeah, they're right next to ThunderClan. Usually that Clan is pretty hostile, but that's died down in the past seasons."

"Oh, why's that?" Crescent tilted his head.

Shrugging, Redpaw responded, "I guess it's because of one leader we had—the one before my father. Or so I've been told."

Crescent's head whipped around to stare intently into a bush, his tail flicking for silence. Without even stalking it, he launched himself forward and snapped the prey's neck, turning around to display a mouse proudly to Redpaw.

Redpaw just stared at him. "What was that?" he demanded. "You didn't even try to be quiet!"

Crescent's eyes gleamed. "Why bother?" he responded in a muffled voice. "It was sitting right in front of me."

Redpaw just rolled his eyes as he padded away, nose to the ground. _How is he going to learn if he doesn't pay attention? _he thought irritably. _You can't just go charging headfirst into things like that—it's dangerous. And stupid, _he added as an afterthought.

Another mouse darted out in front of Redpaw's path and he lashed out at it without thinking, catching his claws in its fur before finishing it off with a swift bite to the neck.

"You didn't even stalk it!" Crescent's voice was mockingly outraged.

Fur bristling, Redpaw narrowed his eyes. "That was different."

"Uh-huh. Right."

Whiskers twitching with irritation, he plucked up the mouse from the ground, motioning for Crescent to follow him back to the others. The path back was quick enough and in no time, the trees and undergrowth began to look familiar. "We're back!" he called, not wanting to scare them.

But he was the one surprised.

Windfall was struggling with a white cat, his fur fluffed out to twice his usual size.

Redpaw was about to knock him off of the other cat before he realized it wasn't Winnie. "Hey!" he snarled, leaping to Windfall's side and shoving the unknown cat's muzzle into the ground. "Who are you?"

Windfall was panting with exertion. "He just came and attacked her," he spat out, his ears flat against his head.

Redpaw's heart stopped. "Winnie? Where is she?" He drew back, whipping his head around for any sign of her.

"I don't know," Windfall growled, digging his claws into the enemy cat's side. "Why don't you ask _him_?"

The cat in question—a large white tom with dull blue eyes—didn't struggle. He was keeping up a steady stream of breathless mumbling as if he was talking to someone.

"Speak up," Redpaw ordered, poking him sharply. "Where's Winnie?"

He had to lean forward to hear what he was saying: "Yes, the day draws nearer and nearer, my masters. I have brought you many pretty pale she-cats but none are the correct one. Do not fear, masters, I will bring her to you."

Panic surged in Redpaw's chest and he shot a stricken look at Crescent who turned and bounded away to look for his sister. "Look," he snarled savagely. "If you touch one single hair on her pelt, I will make you wish you had never been kitted, rogue. Do you understand me?"

The tom's eyes flickered and his gaze slowly moved over Redpaw's face. "I will bring her to you," he repeated, dropping his gaze once again to the ground. "Her blood runs with much noble blood, indeed. Yes, powerful blood."

"Where were you headed?" Redpaw demanded.

Seeming to wake up a little, the cat blinked. "To the lake," he answered calmly, his gaze lucid.

"Why?"

"She is there."

"She?" Redpaw flickered his gaze up for a heartbeat when he saw Crescent lead Winnie back into the clearing. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he blinked slowly at the white she-cat.

"The pale she-cat." The cat's blue eyes began to shine with a fervent excitement. "The cat I ran into before. They want her."

"They?" Redpaw exchanged a glance with Windfall.

"The forest of shadows. My masters. They called to me and told me to find her blood. I found others, but they weren't the right ones. This one is. They told me."

_Forest of shadows? _"And what will you do with her?" Redpaw asked, feeling a creeping dread in his belly.

"They want her blood. I will kill her and bleed her dry." His voice was still level and clear, even as he said the horrifying words. "It's their will so I shall do it."

"And what does this she-cat look like?" Windfall's voice sounded like he was feeling the same as Redpaw.

The cat seemed to lose interest for a while, his eyes fixed on his tail tip.

_Something is seriously wrong with him._

"Cream," the white tom said suddenly. "Pale cream fur and amber eyes. Long fur. She lives near the hole."

Windfall gasped, his voice ragged; Redpaw shot a glance over at him to see his face was filled with unmasked horror. "Her _blood_?"

"Right, right," the tom answered readily, looking excited. "They told me—" He broke off as Windfall's heavy forepaw cuffed him over the head, nearly knocking the cat out.

"Windfall!" Redpaw was shocked—sure this cat was crazy, but he didn't deserve a no-holds beat down.

"You!" he hissed, his pale blue eyes livid with anger; it made a pang of fear run through Redpaw before he could stop it. "Are you the one who told her that?"

"You must know her." The cat tilted his head to the side, not trying to stem the flow of blood from his ripped ear. "Has she mentioned her blood? She will die soon—they have told me. Her blood will spill," he tilted his head back to look up at the nearly-full moon, "tomorrow," he finished decisively.

Windfall let out a snarl of rage, slashing his claws a mouselength from the cat's face. "Not if I kill you first," he vowed, his voice deadly serious.

"Windfall, calm down!" Redpaw stepped in between the two of them, flinching when he saw the cold fury behind the ShadowClan cat's eyes.

"Calm down?" Windfall looked at Redpaw as if he was insane. "You're asking me to calm down? He's talking about killing her!" His voice had reached a panicky high-pitch.

"Who?" Redpaw demanded.

Eyes fixed on the miserable ball of white fur that was the tom behind them, Windfall hissed furiously. "He's talking about your sister," he responded harshly. "He's going to kill Amberlight."

* * *

**Ba-duuuuum! And now even Windfall can put two and two together! Yay!**

**I have to get back to my research paper now. Government sucks, guys. I hate politics. -grumble grumble- **

**Shadow~**


	30. Chapter 29

**Haaa, it's been so long! Okay, well, I have a few excuses as to why I haven't updated, and to conserve time I will make them in list form.**

**1. School as usual.**

**2. MegaCon**

**3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood**

**4. Toshiro Hitsugayaf**

**5. This: http://www(dot)/watch?v=CxHA7oGlW4s&feature=related. If you haven't heard this song, your life is about to get a lot more awesome.**

**6. Vlogbrothers**

**7. The Hunger Games**

**But seriously, guys, I do feel bad. ^.^' **

**OH! ALSO! I moved onto round two of ABNA. XDDDDDDDD My name is totally on Amazon under the round 1 winners if you guys wanna check it out, though you don't know my name and there are 999 others. XD But Fwirly made it, too, so we celebrated by going to MegaCon which was AWESOME. I got four new posters and a Zelda shirt and a State Alchemist's pocket watch (which is my crowning glory, I must say) and several new obsessions like Axis Powers Hetalia and Nodame Cantible. **

**Anyhoo, onto review replies!**

**.Energy - Dang. We still haven't traded yet, Skyst. XD **

**GinnyStar - Thankies~**

**WildCroconaw - Umm, definitely not. ;)**

**xXSnowfireXx - Government is suckalicious but I do like my World Civilizations class, but that's probably because the professor assigned a two page essay. DOUBLE-SPACED. I thought they told me that college was going to be difficult. XD Oh, and I think he did, and if he didn't, let's just say he went to the last Gathering and found it out. :P**

**Fwirl Until The End - Pssssh, it's not like you update either, kohai. And Lappy and I are reunited again...until he breaks again. D: D:**

**Amazingly awesome person - Kekeke. Where, oh, where could Winnie be~? :D:D Don't worry, she's not slated for death. Yet. }:D**

**Abyss of Shadows - DANG, ABSTER. You just made me lose the game AGAIN. D: Heeee, I'll go fix that error as we speak--er, type! Well, read in your case and type in my case but...you know. :P**

**Loststream - What indeed~? :D:D Heeee, thankies~ **

**Icethroat21 - Heehee! Even that little furball's capable of some deep thoughts occasionally. ^.^**

**alk - Here ya go! :D**

**violinlover71898 - Aaaaaw, that sucks. But at least now you're back! -huggles- **

**Onto the story!**

* * *

Hollyflight lay next to her sister in the dark warriors' den, unable to even think about sleeping. Amberlight's body was too still to be truly asleep, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

_I'm so stupid, _Hollyflight thought, clenching her eyes shut tightly. _How could I have threatened her like that? Like I would have really told on her to Lionstar. Now she'll never trust me ever again._

Amberlight's reaction after they had left Windfall beside the ShadowClan border wasn't anything like Hollyflight would have guessed. The pale cream she-cat had been quiet, not outwardly furious as Hollyflight had imagined. She hadn't spoken to her sister, and she hadn't looked back towards the white ShadowClan tom.

_What are you thinking, Amberlight? Do you hate me for what I've done?_ Hollyflight couldn't repress the constant pangs of guilt she felt. She had actually attacked Windfall! What was wrong with her?

_He had it coming, _she grumbled in her mind, imagining the ferocious face of the white tabby. _Who does he think he is, challenging me? Did he really think he could beat me?_

Then she caught herself. _Stupid tom. _She turned her face away from her sister irritably, eyes flickering up to the ceiling of the den more than once to see if light was filtering down through the patchy branches. Knowing she wasn't going to sleep a wink, she got to her paws and shuffled out of the den, not looking back at Amberlight.

A few other cats were already up and about, despite the sun was just creeping over the horizon. Ferncloud and Harepaw were standing close to the fresh-kill pile, looking down at the measly pile of a single mouse and two voles. "You can have a piece," the gray she-cat told her apprentice. "I can last a bit longer."

"We can share it," Harepaw answered in a grumble, pulling out the mouse and laying down.

Hollyflight felt a squirm of nervousness as she saw she could count the sandy apprentice's ribs. He looked as scraggly as a dead leaf. _We need prey badly. _

Ferncloud looked up as Hollyflight approached, her green eyes bright despite her obvious hunger. "Couldn't sleep?"

Hollyflight just shook her head. "It's the cold."

"Don't I know it," the she-cat answered sympathetically. "Dustpelt's taking it rather hard, poor dear. I've been heading to the elders' den at night just to keep him warm." Her voice was filled with worry for her mate.

"Maybe they should move to the warriors' den," Hollyflight suggested. "It might be warmer in there with more than just three cats."

"I'll mention it to Lionstar." Ferncloud's eyes flickered over to Harepaw, who was chewing absently on a mouse bone. "Maybe the apprentices, too."

"I'm fine," Harepaw protested.

"Hush," Ferncloud said gently. "You don't need to pretend." She looked back up at Hollyflight. "Would you like to come out hunting with us? The more claws, the better."

That would get her mind off of this whole ordeal. "Sure! Sounds great."

The forest floor was covered with some kind of slushy half-melted snow. Disgusted, Hollyflight shook each paw after stepping in the foul stuff, her lip curled.

Harepaw just plowed through it for the most part, his narrow shoulders soon becoming soaked with the dingy stuff. "How are we going to find prey in this?" he complained loudly. "I can't even find my paws!"

"Maybe you'd find more if you were quieter," Ferncloud chided gently, sparing him an amused glance.

Hollyflight watched the mentor and apprentice critically. _Ferncloud doesn't seem to be a very good mentor, _she mused, watching the gray she-cat urge Harepaw to go on ahead towards the back of the territory. _She's not really correcting him on anything._

As if she had read her mind, Ferncloud mewed, "He needs a gentle touch, that's all. He's a bright young cat, but he gets discouraged so easily."

"Not like his sister," Hollyflight pointed out.

"No one wants to be compared to their littermate," the she-cat replied easily. "You should know that more than anyone with two siblings."

That made Hollyflight's claws unsheathe. "And you?" she challenged.

"Two of my littermates died in kithood and my last brother was killed before you were born." Her voice was firm but still soft.

Immediately, Hollyflight regretted her words. "Well, I didn't know that."

"That's because you never asked." Ferncloud's green eyes fixed levelly on her. "I wanted you to come with me and Harepaw for more than one reason, Hollyflight. I've been trying to find a way to talk to you for awhile now."

"Oh?" Hollyflight's guilt spiked into curiosity. "About what?"

"I watched you and your sister grow up, so I think I can safely say I know how…different you two are. I've noticed of late that you haven't been speaking."

_That's none of your business,_ she hissed in her mind, but aloud said, "It's nothing big."

"Are you telling me the truth?" Ferncloud pressed.

Hollyflight flattened her ears. "Yes," she spat out, tail flicking irritably behind her. "There's no reason for me to lie." _I'm not like Amberlight, _she added silently_._

Ferncloud frowned, opening her mouth to respond.

A scream of terror cut through the air like a shard of ice.

Hollyflight whipped around to see Harepaw charging back towards them, his eyes wide and filled with fear and agony, his pelt on fire. "Help me!" he shrieked, falling onto his side and writhing on the ground as his fur burned. "Help me!"

Ferncloud leapt towards her apprentice, whapping at the fire with hesitant paws, her pelt on edge with horror.

Hollyflight curled back her lips and launched herself at the apprentice, wincing as a tongue of flame licked at her pads but pushing down her fear as she scraped dirt over the wailing apprentice until the fire died down. "What happened to you?" she demanded, shaking his shoulder with one agonized paw. "How did this happen?!"

But Harepaw had fallen silent. His skin was blackened where the fire had scorched him, oozing a clear liquid that made Hollyflight gag. Most of the fur along his spine was gone as well as one entire half of his face, the eye pressed shut from the swelling.

"Harepaw!" Ferncloud's voice was choked with fear. "Harepaw, wake up!"

"We need to get him back to Leafpool immediately," Hollyflight rasped out.

"Oh, no. Oh, no." The gray she-cat was panicking, her green eyes wild. "He's going to die! He's going to die and there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Ferncloud, calm down!"

But the she-cat could not be consoled. She pressed her nose against the wounded flesh of her apprentice's back, her mouth open in a silent wail. At her touch, Harepaw stirred, a mew of agony rising from his throat.

"Stop it!" Hollyflight shoved the she-cat away, her temper and horror spiking. "Now listen to me, Ferncloud. You have to go and get Leafpool right now. Don't stop and don't come back here. Go now and we can still save him!"

A spark of her former calm entered the queen's eyes and she nodded shakily, turning and running off in that moment.

Hollyflight turned back to Harepaw, her heart squeezing painfully when she saw the devastation the fire had wreaked on the poor little scrap. He was shuddering and mewling in pain, his eyes closed tightly shut. "It's alright," she murmured to him, bending down to lick his undamaged ear gently. "Harepaw, it's me, Hollyflight. It's going to be okay, Leafpool's coming to help you."

"There was fire," he gasped out, his eyes flying open. "Fire everywhere."

"Where was the fire?" She leaned closer to listen to his frail voice.

His wide eyes fixed on her vaguely, as if he was looking through her. "It was falling," he told her, his voice clear. "The fire was falling from the sky like rain." Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell silent.

"Oh, StarClan!" Leafpool gasped, running into view with her mouth filled with leaves. Just behind her came Jayfeather and Graystripe, both similarly burdened. Rainshadow and Oakdapple came behind them, both carrying mouthfuls of soaked moss.

Rainshadow's eyes widened and Oakdapple couldn't repress a small intake of startled breath. "What happened to him?" she whispered.

"We need to stop any infection," Leafpool said, her voice as calm and businesslike as if she was pulling out a thorn from a clumsy warrior's paw. "Jayfeather, start to chew up that feverfew and goldenrod and set it here along his shoulder. Graystripe, bring me those poppy seeds." She glanced up at Hollyflight. "I need you to keep his head down."

"Why?" Hollyflight was surprised at how in control her voice sounded. Inside she felt like she was about to collapse.

"He's not going to like what we're about to do." Leafpool's voice was grim. "Oakdapple, you take his hind paws. Rainshadow, get ready with that water. Alright, everyone? Here we go." Dipping her head, she scooped up a pawful of the mushy green mess and applied it to Harepaw's back.

At once, the little apprentice's green eyes flew open. "No!" he screeched, writhing. "Stop, stop, stop! It hurts!"

Hollyflight dutifully held his head down as he twisted in her grip. "Calm down, runt," she grunted. "This will make you feel better."

"Stop! Please," he begged, his voice piteous. "It hurts!"

Graystripe stiffened at the change in his voice. "Leafpool, can we give him the seeds now?"

Leafpool's eyes were set. "Not yet," she said serenely.

The gray deputy's eyes were pained as he watched the apprentice struggle.

"Rainshadow, bring that moss over here. Harepaw will want a drink."

_How can you be so calm? _Hollyflight wanted to yell at the medicine cat. Didn't she see how much pain she was causing him? Did she want to see him cry and scream like this?

"More feverfew in the next batch, Jayfeather." Leafpool watched Harepaw calm down as Rainshadow trickled water into his burnt mouth. "It's not cool enough for these wounds."

Oakdapple gave a quick, irritated sigh. "Leafpool, fix him!" she spat out at the medicine cat.

"I'm trying," Leafpool snapped back, surprising Hollyflight with the desperation behind her voice. A flash of panic went through the medicine cat's amber eyes before she could mask it, and she turned back to her patient, all signs of panic gone so quickly that Hollyflight half-thought she had imagined it in the first place.

_So she is worried. _The thought made Hollyflight even more terrified for the little apprentice.

With the mix of herbs and cooling water, Harepaw was falling quiet, his eyelids drooping. "Help me," he whispered. "Please, Leafpool, let me go. It hurts so badly."

Hollyflight let out a sharp gasp that was echoed by Rainshadow beside her. Was Harepaw asking for Leafpool to let him die?

"I'm not going to do that, little one," she whispered fiercely back. "I need you to take a little more herb mixture and then you'll feel better. I swear it to you."

Harepaw's eyes flickered. "Okay," he said at last, opening his mouth as Leafpool gently fed him a pulpy mix of leaves and roots, sprinkled through with little black seeds. At once, his eyes closed and he let out a long sigh.

Hollyflight exploded to her paws. "What did you do?" she hissed furiously. "Did you give him too many?"

Leafpool glared up at her. "Of course not," she said scornfully, making Hollyflight feel a squirm of shame. "I gave him enough to keep him asleep for as long as I need to move him back." She glanced across at the party of cats, all wide-eyed. "Graystripe, you and Oakdapple take him. Jayfeather, make sure you gather up all the useful herbs here—it's scarce enough being leaf-bare. You two go and find any source of fire. I'll send another patrol to meet you."

For some reason, Hollyflight resented being told what to do by a medicine cat. "Fine."

The medicine cat nodded. "Fine." Then the patrol turned and made their way slowly back towards camp.

Hollyflight waited until they were well gone before dropping her cold façade, leaning against a tree as her inner panic made its way to the surface. It was her fault, she told herself. Harepaw was still in his first days as an apprentice—he had no right to go ahead by himself. Ferncloud was a new mentor, she couldn't have known that. Graystripe had made sure to drum that into Hollyflight when she was his apprentice. _No one can get in more trouble than a cat without experience, _was what he had said, wasn't it? And yet she had just let Ferncloud set the little runt trotting right ahead and nearly get himself roasted.

"Stupid," she muttered to herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"He'll be fine." Hollyflight turned to see Rainshadow padding back into the clearing, having followed after Leafpool and the others for a few steps.

She immediately pulled away from the tree and hid her panic. "I know that," she mewed stiffly.

His dark eyes flickered. "You don't have to pretend not to be worried, you know."

"I'm not pretending anything," she hissed, walking past him without looking at his face. "Let's just go already."

For some reason, his words rubbed her fur the wrong way. So what if she wasn't some mushy cooing queen-wannabe like some other she-cats were? So what if she didn't want to give anything away to anyone? There was no one she could fully trust anymore—not Lionstar, not Cinderheart, and definitely not Amberlight. As much as it stung her heart, her sister had proved with her behavior that though she had chosen Hollyflight, she was still truly with that stink-pelt Windfall.

"You look like you're about to claw someone," Rainshadow noted.

She whipped her head around to glare at him, faintly surprised to see amusement in his blue eyes. She scoffed lightly, turning away. "It's nothing."

"I'm sure."

She skidded to a stop, her hackles raised. "I think it would be best if we didn't speak," she said coldly. "I'm not in any mood to discuss anything with you or anyone else."

"At any time ever," he finished for her, flicking his tail. "You're so closed in, Hollyflight."

"And what's wrong with that?" She tried to make her voice sound as condescending as possible. "You make fewer enemies that way."

"It just must be really lonely."f

Hollyflight flinched despite herself. "I'm not lonely!" she hissed. "I don't need anyone! I'm not some soft-hearted fool like you, Rainshadow! I'm fine by myself—I can fend for myself, I can hunt for myself. I don't need you or the Clan or Amberlight or _anyone _else anymore." Immediately, she regretted her words when she realized what she had just said.

He didn't look in the least bit ruffled by her harsh words. "Anymore?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, then glared down at her paws, cursing softly. "At all," she corrected herself.

"That's not what you said."

"Well, that's what I meant," she spat. "I don't think it's your place to question me."

"No," he agreed. "No one can do that but you, Hollyflight."

But before she could hotly protest, his eyes focused on something behind her, his eyes widening alarmingly.

She whipped around just in time to see something flying towards them, leaving a trail of fiery debris behind it. "Get down!" she yowled, shoving Rainshadow out of the way of the thing. It crashed to the ground just in front of them, exploding the dirt upwards and clouding the air with choking heat and smoke. The ground shook beneath her paws and dead leaves and chips of bark rained down on her head, stinging where they pierced through her fur.

The thing was still on fire, smoldering silently and setting alight the leaves it had landed on top of.

Coughing, Hollyflight shoved branches off of her back and stood up, her eyes watering from dust. "Rainshadow!" she called, her voice too raspy to be intelligible. "Rainshadow, where are you?"

There was a groan and a stirring of twigs before Rainshadow's gray head poked through, his eyes confused. "What happened?" he wheezed, a hacking cough racking his body.

"That thing flew at us." She nodded to the thing on the ground, now blackened as the fire ate at it. She pressed towards it cautiously, peering closely at it. It was a large chunk of a tree trunk, perfectly circular save where it had been chipped by the fall. "Wood?" she muttered to herself.

A trickle of blood was matting the gray fur on Rainshadow's forehead as he came up beside her. "Where did it come from? How did it get here?"

"Through the air," she told him. "It fell down from the sky like—" She cut off abruptly, her mouth open.

Like rain. The fire had fallen like rain.

Hollystar.

Without another thought, she tipped her head back. No moon from here—there were too many trees. She took off towards the lake, ignoring Rainshadow's call for her to come back.

As she ran, her mind was ablaze. _This is just like my dream, _she realized. _Hollystar told me about this. She showed me the fire. She showed me the moon. She told me this was going to happen._

She burst through the trees at the lakeshore, glancing down into the smooth surface.

A round moon sat in the lake, bright and full.

She blinked rapidly. _Could I have been wrong? The moon was red in my dream._

"What's wrong with you?" Rainshadow was panting as he ran back towards her, favoring one front paw. "You can't just go running off like that! Leafpool told us to stick together." He stopped when he saw her expression, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "What?"

"This is bad," she whispered, shaking her head. "This is bad."

Rainshadow padded closer, concern in his eyes. "What's bad? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did the fire hit you?"

She shook her head again, feeling the distinct feeling of bewilderment fogging her mind. "No, no. Something terrible is going to happen tonight."

"How do you know this?" He sounded guarded.

"The moon," she said impatiently. "It's going to turn red."

Immediately, she knew she had lost him. Setting his ears back, he frowned. "Hollyflight, the moon doesn't turn red."

"No, it's going to happen like that," she insisted, glancing up. "I know it is."

"That's…"

"It's true!" She turned to look at him, seeing the warring confusion and disbelief on fhis face. "You don't believe me?" she demanded. "I wouldn't lie about this!"

"How do you know?" he challenged her.

"I had a dream about it."

He scoffed. "I had a dream I was being chased by a giant mouse and you don't see me hiding from one, do you?"

"This one was different," she argued. "Hollystar came to me and told me."

That got his attention. "Hollystar?" he echoed.

"Yes," she said firmly. "She told me that the moon was going to turn red. She _showed_ me!"

Rainshadow's fur was bristling uncertainly.

Hollyflight turned her head away angrily, furious at him for not believing her. _Well, you wouldn't believe it the positions were reversed, _a small voice in the back of her mind whispered.

Something flicked in her vision and she glanced up, a bolt of fear flooding through her when she saw ShadowClan's territory across the lake.

The pine forest was burning and the fire was crowning from tree to tree, scorching closer and closer to ThunderClan's camp.

Rainshadow gasped. "Oh, no," he rasped. "We have to get back _now._"

Hollyflight followed after him, mind whirring. Was this all a coincidence? Could this be what Hollystar had predicted?

* * *

"Lionstar, the forest is burning!" Hollyflight's yowl fell on deaf ears. The Clan was in an uproar, cats running across the clearing in a confusing tangle of blurred fur, their pelts flickering across the backdrop of flames that edged closer and closer to the top of the hollow.

"Everyone out now!" Lionstar's voice was strong and commanding but his eyes were wild with fear. "To the lake!"

"No, the lake's too far away! We have to get to water!"

"The river! We'll go to the river!"

"Are you insane? We need to go to the lake!"

Their fear was contagious—Hollyflight felt it gripping at her heart, turning the blood in her veins to ice. _Snap out of it. Panic isn't going to help anyone._

"Thank StarClan!" Cinderheart pressed her muzzle into Hollyflight's side. "Leafpool said you were still out there."

"We'll all be out there soon," Hollyflight retorted. "Why is everyone still in camp when the fire is so close?"

Cinderheart shook her head. "It's moving swiftly. We've been getting everything prepared." She turned to gesture to where Jayfeather and Leafpool were scurrying back to their den, mouths full of moss. "They can't move Harepaw quickly enough."

Lionstar was moving among the Clan, giving orders to the older warriors to guide the younger, for the queens to help the elders, for Honeyfern and Berrynose to control their daughter: Faintpaw was half-mad with fear for her brother, her eyes dilated until the black swallowed up the green.

Hollyflight ran towards the warriors' den, nose in the air for her sister's familiar scent. There was a flash of pale pelt in the corner of her eyes and she turned just in time to see Amberlight's tail disappear out of the thorn tunnel.

Her first thought was relief that her sister had escaped. Her second was betrayal. She was surely running straight for ShadowClan land.

Cursing her sister, Hollyflight moved to follow but was interrupted by Jayfeather. "Hollyflight, come here," he ordered. "You can help me out here."

Fighting down her fury, Hollyflight nodded and dashed after the medicine cat apprentice, ducking her head under the brambles that screened off the medicine den.

Harepaw looked even worse off, his skin red and swollen, seeping blood into his pale fur. Sickened, she asked, "Is he conscious?"

"No." Leafpool was applying another layer of green paste to his burns. "Thank StarClan, he's not. It'll be easier to move him this way." Wiping her paws on a wad of moss, she nodded to Hollyflight. "Grab that end. We're going to lift him."

Hollyflight looked down and realized Harepaw was on a bed of thick moss. "Won't he fall through?"

"No, I've put reeds in it," Leafpool explained impatiently. "Jayfeather, get the other side. I'll carry herbs."

The moss was awkward to carry as they stumbled out of the den and into the clearing. Lionstar was the only one left. "Hurry," he urged them, making a final sweep of the dens to make sure everyone had escaped.

Jayfeather muttered something, his voice muffled by the moss. Hollyflight was sure it was unpleasant.

Everything seemed dislocated somehow, like she was in a dream. The thick smoke clogged her throat and nose, burning her nostrils when she breathed. Even the ground underpaw was soft with warm ash, coating her paws in a crust of gray. She could barely pick out the gleam of her Clanmate's eyes as they rushed alongside her. It seemed harder to concentrate the harder she pushed herself to run, and in no time, she was panting heavily.

_Don't be so pathetic, _she ordered herself. _You've run much farther than this before. _

"I'll take over." Berrynose was at her side, his blue eyes emotionless.

"I've got it," she mumbled.

"I can carry my son," he said, his voice sharp.

She flinched at his tone but pulled back slightly, allowing him to grab a mouthful of the moss. Jayfeather watched silently.

Honeyfern brushed against Hollyflight's side, her amber eyes sad. "He doesn't want to lose him, too," she whispered.

Hollyflight's heart froze. _She's talking about Redpaw._ Feeling a strange sensation in her throat, she just nodded and ran ahead.

Sure enough, Amberlight wasn't in sight. The thought fueled Hollyflight's anger. How could she? Her own Clan was in danger and all she thought about was _him!_

Screeches sounded from ahead. "It's blocked!" one cat wailed.

Hollyflight peered around Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight to see Lionstar leaping backwards, his fur on end. In front of him loomed a fallen log, its bark crisping in the heat of the fire that blazed along its length.

"Lionstar, what do we do?" Ferncloud was heavily supporting her mate, Dustpelt, as one of his legs dripped with blood.

"We have to go around," Graystripe said resolutely.

"There isn't any way!" Rosefall yowled. "We can't go up the rise!"

"We have to try," Lionstar snapped. "Everyone calm down. The warriors will help the elders up. Let's go. Spiderleg, lead the way."

The black-and-brown tom didn't move.

Lionstar turned to stare him down. "I gave you an order."

"It's pointless," Spiderleg spat. "There's no way we can get the elders and Harepaw up there. It's a fool's errand. We have precious little time already as it is. It would be best to keep going around."

Lionstar looked like he was having a hard time controlling his temper, with his tail lashing and amber eyes sparking. "We're—"

There was an explosion to their side that sent a tree crashing to the ground not even a whisker-length from Lionstar's face. He leapt back, his fur on end.

At once, the Clan bunched into a circle, backs to the center as they stared at the unknown threat. Flames surged across the ground like a wave, making the air shimmer in front of Hollyflight like rippling water.

Oakdapple bravely leapt forward to try and jump the line of fire, but was rebuffed by a rush of fire. "We're blocked in!" she cried. "What do we do?"

Lionstar's mouth was hanging open. "This is wrong," he breathed, so softly that if Hollyflight hadn't been standing right next to him she wouldn't have hear him over the roar of the wildfire. "This is unnatural."

"StarClan save us!" someone wailed. "We're all going to die!"

_No,_ Hollyflight thought. _No, no, no. I _refuse_ to die here! _Bracing herself, she ran forward towards the curtain of flames, closing her eyes tightly as she prepared to leap through.

"Wait! This way!"

Hollyflight froze, her heart hammering in her chest. _No…it couldn't be. It's not possible._

But gasps of shock were already rising from the throats of those closest to her, gazes rising to an outcropping of rock that jutted from the ground like a curled claw. On top sat a ginger cat, his eyes reflecting the bright fire. The flames parted around him like outstretched wings of scarlet and gold as he gripped the rough surface with his claws.

Sandstorm, one eye swollen shut and crusted with blood, stumbled forward, her mouth hanging open. "Firestar!" she cried. "It's Firestar! StarClan have come for us!"

"No," Hollyflight said, surprised to hear herself speak. It felt like she was underwater, like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. "It's not Firestar. It's Redpaw. He's alive."

* * *

**Yaaaay! Hollyflight's gonna be done being an angst-bag! Though I am really liking how she's turning out. She's much more cold that I meant her to be, but she is very insecure, it would appear. Huh. How odd.**

**Anyhoo, R&R~**

**Shadow **

**(Sigh. I heart Hitsugaya so much. -floats off in a cloud of fangirlish bliss-)**


	31. Chapter 30

**Now this is a quicky update, now, isn't it? :D:D**

**Icethroat21 - Heee~! I haven't gotten past episode 3 though, as of my Hetalia obsession. XD**

**Amazingly awesome person - Haha! I have been planning that for _so _long. As soon as I thought, "I need to have two she-cats and a tom" I was like, "The tom needs to be ginger for this very reason." XD Haha, consider me scolded, then. 'Twon't happen again--pinky promise! NOOOO, anything but bad grammar! -dies immediately- Okay, okay, I won't kill her. :D**

**Abyss of Shadows - GAMEGAMEGAME. }:D Haaaa, I'll go fix those errors. ^.^' As for the Ferncloud thing, Hollyflight just wants to be complainy and think she's smarter than everyone else as per usual. Poor furball's so messed up and can still keep up an ego, eh? And MegaCon was totally awesome. I got my picture taken with a Stormtrooper! -dies of happiness- **

**Lightkit - Heee~! I wanted there to be fire involved--for the whole Firestar thing--but I'm glad you think it was epic~! Yup, this is actually my third pocketwatch--my grandma gave me two of hers--but this is my first FMA watch and it's sitting on my knee as we type! **

**xxSnowfirexx - Yeah, I have a tendency to ignore most of the little red lines when I'm writing fanfiction because Word hates Warrior names. XD Yup, this is my second semester on it and then I'll be done with my Gen Eds and finally--_finally_--get to take some writing classes. I also have to take three semesters of language, so I'll start that with French next semester, too, I suppose. **

**Skyst - For some reason, it makes me delete your name. O.o Probably because of all the periods. XD Woooooot~! Okay, you must trade-back me a Deoxys, too! :D:D:D Can you this weekend? I think I should be home this weekend. **

**Loststream - Heee~! You like that pairing~? :D:D**

**alk - Kekeke, you must read to find out~!**

**Orythea - Oooh, I like your penname~ It has a nice ring to it!**

**Fawnblaze - D'aaaaw, that's so nice~! Nothing's more flattering than being compared to the real thing. ;)**

**Fwirly-Swish-Swish - Hey, now. You know you heart Hitsugaya, too. GRACK GRACK, how did I miss that? -flails about- **

**Onto the story~!**

* * *

Fire.

There was fire in the camp, scorching fox-lengths from where the Clan would normally be sleeping. Devouring the forest and leaving only blackened traces of what once was. Filling the air with choking black smoke that poured into the stone hollow like deadly mist.

And tonight was the night she would die.

It could not be a coincidence.

Amberlight's teeth were chattering though the fire had warmed the air far past frigidity. She couldn't stop herself from trembling, from going over everything she had ever thought in the past few days, her mind lingering on her kin's faces and Windfall's pointed face.

The Clan was in danger and all she wanted to do was melt into his side and forget the world. What a selfish cat she was, and yet she couldn't stop herself from getting her paws underneath her and walking with dreamlike slowness out of the hollow and towards the ShadowClan border. She could feel—or probably imagined—the critical eyes of the Clan trained on her back, as if they knew what would happen, as if they knew where she was going. Paranoia clutched at her chest colder than ice and she picked up speed until she was flying through the forest, the icy wind stinging at her eyes even as the smoke-laced air filled her lungs and made her cough.

_Once more, _she told herself. _I have to see his face once more before I die. I can go happily if I can just see him. _

But she was lying to herself and she knew it. She did not want to die. She wanted to live out her life, long and prosperous, in ThunderClan's territory and hunt with her sister, watch Faintpaw and Harepaw grow up into strong, capable warriors, see her father lead the Clan bravely as he always did—that is, before she knew what he had done under Hollystar's reign.

The ShadowClan border grew closer with each pawstep she took and she began to slow down, unsure what to do now. She had basically told Windfall she didn't want him, didn't want to see him again. How would he know to meet her at the border? Would he be waiting for her?

She felt her mouth hang open with shock as she skidded to a stop, her wide eyes fixed on the scene in front of her. "Great StarClan," she whispered.

The forest was lit with an unearthly blaze, fire cresting each pine tree as the loud snap of exploding sap filled her ears. The smoke was thick here—it was a wonder she hadn't noticed it before. ShadowClan was the source of the fire.

Even as she watched, she realized she could see flickers of color through the curtain of smoke—cats! One of them surely had to be Windfall, she thought, and she ran towards them across the border without thinking of the repercussions.

There was a loud yowl that rang over the roar of the fire: "Everyone, head towards the lake! The water will shelter us from the fire!" Rowanstar's red pelt was smudged dark gray by soot and only his amber eyes shone in the darkness.

Amberlight paused, looking for Windfall's white pelt.

"Hey! Rowanstar said to—" The golden queen that had snapped at her suddenly stopped, her eyes wide. "Who are you?" she demanded sharply. "You're not ShadowClan!"

"Is Windfall here?" Amberlight asked, her voice high-pitched with panic. "I need to speak with him." _No one will think badly of me and I'll be gone soon regardless. _

The queen's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with Windfall, ThunderClan?"

"I need to speak to him," was all she replied with.

Rowanstar, seeing the queen stopped, ran over and roughly shoved her. "Get moving, Huntsong!" he spat. "Take your kits and go!" His eyes fixed on Amberlight. "You're Lionstar's daughter. What in StarClan's name are you doing here?"

But Amberlight could see that Windfall wasn't among the ShadowClan cats that gathered behind their leader, pelts bristling with hostility despite the looming threat of the fire that grew ever closer. "Where is Windfall?" she repeated.

Rowanstar's expression darkened. "He's not among my Clan any longer. He left some days ago and hasn't been seen since. I sent out patrols for him but no one could find him. The last we scented he had crossed across the back of ThunderClan's territory."

"Ahh…" The small sound of dismay rose from her throat before she could hide it.

Windfall was gone. He had left ShadowClan. Probably because of the things she had said to him, such hurtful words that crashed around in her mind even now, making her shut her eyes in pain.

Huntsong's eyes narrowed. "What is between you and my son?" she demanded.

_Her son? _Then it struck her—this was Windfall's mother! The one who had left his father and became Smokefoot's mate! Even now, the black deputy crept up behind her, eyes hostile as the fire that raged behind him. At his heels walked two kits—one golden and the other black with white paws, both with amber eyes just as suspicious as their father's.

"A ThunderClan cat!" he exclaimed. "Did your leader send you?"

"Uhh…yes. Lionstar sent me to tell you that ShadowClan may shelter on ThunderClan land from the fire." The lie was terribly-delivered and badly-conceived, but she couldn't bring herself to make a better one. "I have to get back to my Clan."

"Wait!" Rowanstar cried from behind her, but she was already gone, racing back through the burning forest towards the back of the territory.

_I don't have long, _she thought, panting from the exertion of running through smoke. _The moon's going to rise soon. Something tells me that's going to be it. _

She had no idea where she had to go and when she had to be there, but she knew that it would come to her when it happened. Without knowing when, she realized that she trusted the light that came to her in dreams. As much as she hated it, hated the idea of dying and having the Clan go on without her, she also knew that this would save her friends and kin, and that was worth dying.

And it would save Windfall.

Even now, the white tom's face burned in her mind, his usually-icy eyes filled with warmth as he looked at her. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought. Would be ever look at her like that again after what she had said? Would he ever forgive her for choosing her Clan over him?

_He will, _a voice in the back of her mind whispered.

_Maybe,_ she thought back to it, the thought of his rejection paining her more than the thought of dying.

ThunderClan's land was completely devoid of prey as she rushed through, searing her paws on chunks of burning bark and reopening the wound on her paw. She paused for a moment and turned it over, alarmed to see it was pulsing with red light just like the day she had had the dream. Swallowing hard, she set her paw back down and starting running again.

Soon, she knew it was useless. She was simply running in circles, and it would get her no closer to Windfall. Slowing to a trot and then to a standstill, Amberlight let her head hang low as she panted hard. "He's really gone," she rasped aloud, her voice breaking. "He left."

Her only hope left, that he would be waiting for her, was gone, a hollow feeling filling her chest.

"I can't believe it," she whispered bitterly. "I don't even get one thing before I give into you, huh?" She wrenched her head back at the sky, the first warriors of StarClan just barely glinting through the smoky air. "Is this really what I deserve?!" she yowled to them. "I'm doing what you want, aren't I? Isn't this what you want? What about what I want? Don't I get a choice in _anything?_"

As she raged aloud, she realized it was pointless. StarClan were silent and cold, nothing more than specks of light in the sky as her fury continued. She was just wasting her breath.

"This will help everyone, Amberlight."

Amberlight whirled around to face the sound, her breath catching in her chest. "Who's there?" she demanded, her eyes searching out the source of the voice. "I heard you, so just come out!"

"We are here, Amberlight." With a ripple of the air and a surge of fire, the orb coalesced in front of her, shimming red and gold like the fire it had just consumed. "We have always been here."

"You." She didn't try to hide the raw pain in her voice. "You have the nerve to show yourself to me here? After all you've done to me? You won't even let me see him?"

"You should know by now that selfish desires are unneeded in a position like yours," the light said emotionlessly, molding into a catlike shape with burning red eyes and a body that blazed golden like the sun, trails of orange and blue flickering along its flanks.

"Selfish desires?" Amberlight echoed. "Am I not entitled to be happy? Don't I deserve to laugh and breathe and hunt and be with my loved ones? Is it so selfish to want something? Is it so selfish to want to live or to grow old with someone or to see my kits grow up to be warriors? If that's true, then I guess I _am_ selfish."

The cat's eyes narrowed. "You love him," it accused lightly.

"You know what?" Amberlight snarled. "I do." Her heart soared as she finally admitted it out loud despite the burning hatred she felt for the light in front of her.

The golden cat stood up. "Then that's that." But something had changed about its voice—something barely tangible.

Amberlight got to her paws as well. "I think you owe me something," she said suddenly.

"Oh? What could we possibly owe you?"

"I think I deserve to know who or what you are." Amberlight was shaking. She was so close to finally realizing the truth.

The cat folded back its ears, red eyes burning like live coals. "I don't think you do."

Amberlight started slightly. It was the first time that the light had referred to itself singularly. "You're wrong."

"And it won't change your resolve?" the light pressed, emotion creeping into its voice with every syllable. "You'll still go through with it?"

"Yes." Amberlight didn't flinch as she said the word, even though she could feel her heart fighting to shatter.

A gleam of respect entered the cat's eyes before it closed them, arching its back as if stretching before shaking its fiery pelt, sending sparks of golden light dancing across the sooty ground. Amberlight shut her eyes against the bright glow, half-raising a paw to shield her eyes. When she opened them, she could only stare in shock.

It wasn't just one cat—it was three.

Two she-cats—one with patches on her white fur like shadows on snow and the other with pure black fur—and one silver tabby tom stood in front of her, their eyes trained on her.

"Who…who are you?" Amberlight whispered. "You're the light?" Even as she asked the question, she knew she was right—she could see through their figures as if they were made of mist.

"Yes," the silver tom said, his voice strong and low. "My name is Silverblaze, young one, and these are—"

"We can introduce ourselves," the black she-cat snapped, her green eyes narrowed with irritation.

The black-and-white she-cat rolled her eyes. "The name's Blackflower, runt," she told Amberlight, dipping her head. "And this arrogant furball is Hollystar."

"Hollystar!" Amberlight exclaimed, feeling a dull blow to her belly. "You're my father's sister?"

"Not quite." Fire danced around the former leader's paws like light on broken water. "But close enough."

"Why did you hide your identities from me?" Amberlight demanded weakly. "Why didn't you just tell me who you were?"

Silverblaze's thin face looked tired. "You wouldn't have trusted us if you knew what we were," he explained softly. "We are not StarClan, young one. But we aren't the Dark Forest, either. We're between."

"We needed you to help seal the gate," Blackflower explained, her tail flicking. "The Dark Forest have been trying to squeeze their way out of their pit for seasons. It's a wonder it's lasted this long. StarClan are powerless to stop them."

"Why?"

Hollystar's face looked rather pained as she responded, "They don't know about it."

"How can they not know?" Amberlight exploded to her paws. "StarClan know everything that happens!"

"Not true!" Blackflower snapped immediately. "You Clan cats are so soft-brained. StarClan are arrogant and power-hungry! Since they're the ones that sealed the Dark Forest, they think it'll never break!"

Amberlight recoiled at the heat of the she-cat's anger.

"Blackflower," Silverblaze chided gently. "You don't need to say it so roughly."

"But it's true?" Amberlight whispered.

Hollystar nodded. "They don't know how close the Dark Forest is to breaking free. We're the only ones to stop it. You as well," she added as if an afterthought.

"But why does my blood work?"

Blackflower stepped forward, warning her companions back. "Because I've done it," she said bluntly. "I used Jayfeather's blood to make it into your world temporarily."

Amberlight gasped softly. "Why didn't he tell me about this?" she demanded. "He should have—"

"Yes, because you definitely would have believed him if he told you that a long-dead ShadowClan medicine cat took over his body," Blackflower drawled.

Ears burning from embarrassment, Amberlight stuttered, "But that isn't the point. If you used Jayfeather's blood to _come _here, doesn't that mean that my blood will let them come here, too? We are related."

But the three cats were shaking their heads. "That's not how it works," Hollystar explained. "It only worked before because the blood was _inside _the Dark Forest. If we seal it from the outside, it will lock them in."

Amberlight felt a blank surprise. _Does that mean that Jayfeather went to the Dark Forest?_ she wondered weakly. "Then what does the fire have to do with anything? Is it a sign?"

Blackflower cast an amused glance at Hollystar. "Yes, Hollystar, is it a sign?" she mocked lightly.

Hollystar's eyes darkened. Turning to Amberlight, she said roughly, "There was no other way to make sure that everyone was out of the way. I did what I had to do."

"_You_ started the fire?"

"No, but I made sure it kept going." She angled her ears to the side. "That way is a twoleg monster cutting down trees. He kicked over one of his firespots by accident and started the fire in ShadowClan. I made sure that it made it to ThunderClan." Her eyes softened slightly. "I care for my kin, too, Amberlight. This was the only way to make sure everyone was out. The forest will grow back twice as strong from my fire."

Amberlight just shook her head. "This can't be happening," she muttered.

Silverblaze's voice was sympathetic: "All is not lost, young one. We have decided to grant your wish."

"My wish?" She glanced back up into the silver tom's green eyes.

Hollystar nodded. "I believe you were looking for a certain ShadowClan tom?"

Amberlight's heart seemed to stop in her chest. "You'll take me to him?"

Blackflower's smirk returned. "Sure, why not? I don't know what you see in him, but he is rather handsome. Not as handsome as you are, though, Silverblaze," she added when the older tom cleared his throat significantly.

"But we and the Clans thank you for your sacrifice," Silverblaze intoned. "You will not be forgotten. We will watch over your kin."

The lump was back in Amberlight's throat. "T-thank you," she choked out.

The three cats nodded in unison, all taking one step forward before the golden light burst in the clearing and they were one again. "We will lead the way," they said in that same emotionless voice, but now she could pick out their individual voices if she concentrated. The light streaked across the sky like an enormous firefly, leaving a glittering trail of red sparks.

Amberlight pelted after them, feeling so light on her paws as if she was made of light, too. She was going to see him! They were leading her to him!

But what would she say? "I'm sorry" wouldn't work. "Forgive me" was too formal. She clamped her jaws together as she warred herself.

As suddenly as they had started to run, the light halted in front of a row of dead brambles. "Just ahead," they told her, their voices shimmering in the suddenly cold air. "He is there."

"Thank you for this," Amberlight whispered fervently.

"You should save your breath," the light—probably mostly Blackflower—said rather snappishly. "The time is near. You won't have long." Then with a hiss like rain on hot stones the light flashed once and then disappeared.

Amberlight pressed forward at once, shouldering her way through the brambles, ignoring the sharp spikes of pain from their curved claw-like stems. She found herself on a rise of land overlooking a small clearing in which a small cluster of cats were padding.

"He should be back by now," one of them—a she-cat from the voice—mewed worriedly.

"Calm down," another responded. "He said he'd be back once he found them. It is dangerous out there. Besides, you should concentrate on watching this one." There was a grunt of pain as the tom seemingly kicked a bundle of white fur on the ground.

Amberlight tore herself free of the brambles and stood fully on the crest of the hill, looking down for the first time. Strangely, all of the cats she could see were white, though one was pinned beneath the paws of the two others. She didn't recognize them, but something about their scent was familiar.

"I can't take this for much longer. I have to get going. I _have_ to find her!"

And then _he _padded into the clearing, his brow furrowed over his pale blue eyes and his gray-striped pelt bristling with agitation. His tail lashed behind him as he began to pace back and forth.

"Windfall." Amberlight didn't even realize she had spoken until she heard her own voice, shaky and uneven.

His ears pricked slightly, his eyes widening. Slowly, he lifted his head to seek out the source of who had called his name. His eyes met hers and his mouth dropped open. "Amberlight," he breathed.

At once, she leapt forward, sailing through the air like a young bird taking flight for the first time, her paws outstretched to him.

And he met her halfway, rearing up on his hind legs to catch her as they stumbled clumsily to the ground, both breathing as heavy as if they had been running.

At once, she buried her muzzle in his thick neck fur, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. "I'm so sorry. It was all a lie, Windfall, every bit of it."

He gently licked her cheek, purring softly. "I'm sorry I left. I'm such a coward."

"No," she argued firmly, realizing in that moment how complete she felt with him so near. "I'm the coward. I lied to my sister so that she wouldn't be angry with me."

He froze, his heart beating under her ear. "You lied to her?" he repeated. "Does that mean…?"

"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind him, "What's going on—" then choked off with a strange-sounding gurgle.

Amberlight looked up from Windfall's blazing eyes only to feel her heart stop. "It can't be!" she gasped. "Redpaw?"

But this cat couldn't be her brother, with his broad-shoulders and hard muscles. Redpaw was a scrawny undersized apprentice, not this powerful ginger-pelted warrior. "Amberlight!" he mewed joyfully, leaping over to her and pressing his muzzle against her jaw, his familiar high voice deepened to a tom's pitch. He had grown up to be taller than she was and significantly stronger.

But his scent was familiar. "I thought you were dead," she whispered against his soft fur. "I thought that fox had killed you."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come back," he said just as softly, pulling away from the embrace. "I got a little…sidetracked." He glanced behind him at the trio of white cats, the two standing staring at her with wide, identical sets of blue eyes. "These are my friends: Winnie and Crescent."

"It's nice to meet you." The female, Winnie, greeted warmly.

"It's about time we can put a face to the name Redpaw keeps whining about," Crescent scoffed, but his eyes gleamed with good humor. "Now that we've met you, where's the other one, Redpaw?"

"Hollyflight's with the Clan for now," Redpaw responded. "I led them to the lakeshore." Amberlight could see he was limping and one paw's fur was burned away.

Amberlight turned to face Windfall, unwilling to waste a single second that she had left. "Huntsong told me you left," she murmured, so low that the other cats couldn't hear her.

Windfall's whiskers drooped. "You spoke with her? How is she? Did you see Nightkit and Hazelkit?"

"Everyone's fine," she assured him, pressing her nose against the side of his neck. "But that's not the point. Why did you leave?"

Windfall sighed. "There's no point for me to be here if you weren't with me," he said softly. "So I ran away like a fool."

"You're the farthest thing from a fool." She gently licked his cheek.

Redpaw was staring at them. "So this is why you were in such a big hurry, Windfall?" he asked delicately. "I can't say I approve."

"I don't need your approval," Windfall growled, closing his eyes as he leaned against Amberlight.

Suddenly, there was a savage snarling sound and the white cat on the ground wrenched himself free from Winnie and Crescent, stumbling to his paws. "You," he rasped, already stalking closer. "It's you. The pale-furred she-cat. I can smell you—you're the same one that gave me those pictures."

Amberlight started. "Keegan," she gasped.

The cat didn't make any motion to show he had heard her. "I will spill your blood to my masters and gain a place of honor among their ranks!" At the end of his words, he leapt for her, claws unsheathed.

Amberlight let out a squeak of surprise and dodged to the side, Keegan's claws raking through her thick fur harmlessly. She whirled when she stopped, staring down the badly-injured tom: one eye was swollen closed and his tail was kinked at an odd painful-looking angle.

"They told me to bring you to them," he rasped. "And I always obey my masters."

"Don't you go near her!" Windfall spat, his back arched as he hissed ferociously at the tom, but Keegan didn't even acknowledge him.

"Her blood will revitalize them," he explained slowly, moving his head back and forth like a snake. "They told me so."

"Brave little pet, aren't you?" Redpaw's voice was sarcastic—and fearful. "You'd go up against five cats?"

"Two cats," Keegan corrected.

Redpaw frowned. "What?"

At that instant, Keegan struck out at Redpaw, aiming for a heavily-scarred portion of Redpaw's furless shoulder. With a cry of pain, Redpaw's legs buckled from underneath him and he collapsed to the ground. Without wasting a second, Keegan bit down on Crescent's scruff, yanking him down to the ground while swinging out his hind legs to knock Winnie's paws from under her, following it up with a hard cuff to the back of the white she-cat's head that made her let out a soft sound before she fell forward onto the ground and didn't move. Squirming back to his paws like an adder, Keegan leapt towards the edge of the forest and kicked a pile of hot coals right into Crescent's eyes, eliciting a yowl that made Amberlight's fur stand on end.

Barely even panting, Keegan stepped over the three cats' bodies. "Two cats," he repeated, licking his lips as if he had just eaten a tasty morsel. "Soon to be one."

"Don't you touch her," Windfall growled, his voice guttural and savage. "I swear on my life, I'll kill you."

"I don't need to touch her," Keegan protested lightly. "You can come, too. All I have to do is lead her there."

"You're not leading her anywhere!"

But Amberlight was thinking over what the trio of cats had just told her—she had to put her blood on the outside. Did Keegan really know what he was doing when he decided to lead her to the hole? Didn't he know that her blood would seal the gate and not open it? "Don't," she whispered to Windfall. "I'm going with him."

Windfall just stared at her. "You're insane."

"This is what I want," she murmured in his ear, eyes fixed on Keegan's pale gaze.

Windfall made an exasperated noise in the back of his throat. "This is crazy, Amberlight! You can't go with him!"

"The time has come, Windfall. I know this is what I'm supposed to do. I have to use my blood to seal them in." Before he could protest anymore, she turned and nodded to Keegan. "Let's go."

Looking pleased, the white tom turned to lead the way out of the clearing.

"Amberlight," Redpaw rasped, immobilized by pain. "What are you doing? You can't go with him!" Betrayal ran thick in his voice.

She bowed her head and pressed her nose to his, closing her eyes. "I love you, Redpaw," she whispered. "Don't mourn me." Then she turned her back on her brother and

"Wait…wait! Amberlight, come back!" He sounded heartbroken.

Amberlight shut her eyes against the sound. "Goodbye, brother," she whispered before plunging after Keegan, Windfall right behind her.

"Here." Keegan stopped, unsurprisingly, in front of the hole she had first met him by, that rancid-scented dead pool where she had gotten her injury after the fight with Onestar. It had deepened widened considerably, going from a mouse hole to broad enough for a cat to squeeze through. "Now, let me—" He cut off abruptly with a grunt as Windfall cuffed him hard in the back of the head. He slid to the ground silently, his eyes closed.

"That's enough out of you," he spat, slowly lowering his paw back to the ground. "Why don't you take a nice nap?"

"How long will he be out for?" Amberlight was surprised at how calm her voice sounded—she felt like she was going to shake herself to pieces inside.

"Long enough for you to get out of here." He glanced up at her, eyes hard.

She just stared back at him evenly. "You know I can't do that."

"No, I don't," he said stiffly. "You can leave. We'll leave together. We won't have to come back."

She just exhaled slowly, her mind whirring as she thought about what she could do. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, there was a crack of thunderous noise and something crashed to the ground in front of her, knocking her backwards towards the dark gap in the ground. Windfall's white pelt flashed in front of her eyes as he dodged out of the way of the burning chunk of wood.

"What is this?" she heard him snap, outraged. "What in the name of StarClan is going on here?!"

Getting her paws underneath her, she saw that the mass of burning wood was teetering towards the hole in the ground.

This was her chance. She would not miss it.

Lunging towards it, she twisted around so that she lay on her back and braced her paws against the hot surface, wincing as it burned her paws. _I can't let it fall! I have to go down there!_

"No!" Windfall was suddenly there, supporting the smoldering piece on his shoulders as he glared down at her. "I won't let you do this," he grunted, his legs nearly buckling under the weight. "You can't do this."

She rolled around onto her belly. "I have to," she whispered.

"No," he argued roughly, his blue eyes shining with pain.

Slowly, she got to her paws and pressed her muzzle against his. "I have to," she whispered against his soft fur. "For you and my Clan and my family."

"Don't do this to me," he begged, voice raw with agony. "Don't leave me like this."

She pulled back and stared deep into his eyes, making sure he was paying attention. "I love you, Windfall," she said strongly. "I love you more than anyone else in the world. I've loved you for so long and have just been too scared to admit it."

"Don't you say that," he said raggedly, shuddering under the weight of the wood. "Don't you dare say your goodbyes. I swear, Amberlight, don't you dare leave me."

She leaned forward and pressed her muzzle to his once more, gently licking his cheek. "I love you, Windfall."

He must have seen the resolve in her eyes, because he braced himself against the ground and dug in his claws but she was too fast—she kicked out swiftly with her paws and shoved him backwards, allowing the wood to fall to the ground with a resounding crash.

She gasped as a sob rose in her chest. She couldn't even hear Windfall's voice anymore. It was as if this single roadblock had shut her out from the rest of the world, only leaving the narrow passage to the abyss behind her.

Bracing herself and taking in a deep breath, she faced the darkness. "Well, I guess it's showtime," she muttered, taking her first step into the nightmarish blackness.

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**Dun dun duuuuuun~! How will it end~? What will happen~? Why does Shadow end all of her sentences with little singsongy swooshies~? **

**READ TO FIND OUT**

**Lolsies, poor Shadow's off her rocker.**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	32. Chapter 31

**I'm aliiiiiiiive!**

**I feel really kinda terrible for waiting this long to update again. But then again, I just got done with school and I had exams and volunteering and lots of other, time-consuming crap. Like Glee and Lost and Flashforward and V and Fullmetal Alchemist and Pandora Hearts and Titanic and Avatar and piano lessons and eating tiramisu and...okay, I'll stop now.**

**But really, what's been sucking up most of my time is my own origifnal story. Just passed the 40K marker, ftw~**

**But the point is, I feel really bad. Don't hate me for the short crappiness that is this chapter! D: I'm gonna start on the next chapter right away, and I promise it'll be bunches better!**

* * *

"_No!_ Oh, StarClan, no! Come back, come _back_! This can't be happening!"

Hollyflight ran towards the sound blindly, her scorched paws aching with every step as fshe dashed through the burning forest, her eyes streaming from the smoke and heat. She coughed, shaking her head as the smoke made her vision swirl.

"Windfall!" It was Redpaw's voice now, low and rough from pain. "Windfall, stop it. It's too late."

Hollyflight surged into the clearing, eyes widening as she realized where she was. This was the same clearing that they had fought with Onestar moons before—so long ago it felt like a memory that didn't belong to her. "What's happening?" she demanded, sliding down the embankment of the dead pool and skidding to a stop next to Redpaw and two white cats.

Windfall was on his hind legs, tearing at a blackened piece of a tree trunk that was situated over a small gap in the ground similar to a rabbit hole. "Help me!" he screeched, whipping around to glare at Hollyflight. "You have to help me move this!"

"Hollyflight, I told you to stay with the Clan." Redpaw's voice was worn. Blood trickled down from the top of his shoulder, seeping into the fur between his claws.

"Don't pretend you don't know what just happened!" Windfall turned on Redpaw, fur bristling. "You saw it! How can you be so heartless?"

Redpaw closed his eyes and turned his head away sharply. "That's too heavy to lift. It would be a waste of strength to even try."

Hollyflight looked between her brother and the ShadowClan tom, confused. "Where's Amberlight?" she asked, her voice shaking.

No one answered her.

She extended her claws into the ground. "Where is she?" she repeated insistently.

"Where do you think?" Windfall didn't even look at her, his claws still buried in the face of the wood. "She's under here."

It felt like someone had ripped her lungs out of her body. "W-what? How…?"

Windfall ripped his claws free with the sharp sound of splintering bark and stalked over to her, stopping less than a mouselength from her face. "Amberlight thinks that she has to die down there," he said, his voice calmer than he looked. "She told me she had a dream that her blood would seal some kind of gate and keep danger from the forest."

Hollyflight blinked rapidly. "T-that's stupid!" she spat out. "Why would she think that? That's insanity!" She whipped her head over to Redpaw. "Did you know about this?" she demanded.

Redpaw looked livid. "How in the world would I know?" he snapped. "I haven't even been here!"

"And you don't even care? She's our sister!"

"You really think I don't care, Hollyflight?" His tone made her anger spark. "Don't be stupid."

Without looking at him, she leapt over to the trunk, weaving under bits of twigs and propped her shoulder up against the hot surface, heaving with all of her might.

It didn't even budge a whisker-width.

Windfall came up next to her and shoved, his shoulder fur brushing hers. "It won't move," he gasped, panting.

"Help us!" Hollyflight glared at her brother and the two white cats. "Why won't you help us?"

"If what Amberlight told me is true, there's no helping her." His blue eyes glimmered with some emotion but Hollyflight was too furious to distinguish it.

Moving from her position, she lunged at Redpaw, stopping barely a mouselength from him. "You haven't changed at all, have you?" she hissed, angrier than she could remember being in a long time—even more so than when she had caught Windfall and Amberlight by the border. The irony of her helping the ShadowClan tom save her sister now wasn't lost on her even now. "You're still the same pathetic, weak little mouse you were before you left!"

His eyes sparked with outrage. "Before I left?" he echoed. "You make it sound like I just walked out of the territory one day!"

"And you couldn't come back before then?" Hollyflight raged. "You'd rather spend your time with kittypets?" She aimed her fury at the two cats behind him, both of which bristled at the gesture.

The male let out a hiss. "We're not kittypets!"

The she-cat just watched Hollyflight with cool eyes that were somehow more intimidating than her companion's anger.

"Don't talk about what you don't know!" Redpaw shouted back. "You don't know what I've been through!"

"Don't you get it? We're littermates, _little mouse!"_ Hollyflight poured all of her anger and sorrow and loss into her words, finally dropping the walls she had so carefully built to protect herself from any more hurt. "The Clan thought you were dead but I never did! I always believed that you were out there somewhere on your way home! While they grieved at your loss the only thing I could think of was what we would do when you got back home!" Her voice cracked humiliatingly as her fury continued. "You and me and Amberlight _together_! And you just want to give that all up because you don't think that we can move this stupid piece of wood?"

Redpaw just stared at her.

Gritting her teeth, she spat out, "I can't believe that we're related right now. I wouldn't ever give up on you. I can't believe that my little brother isn't even going to try and help. Don't you think that Amberlight would do the same for you? I know she would even if you don't." She leaned closer, her anger still not quelled; she noticed distantly that he was taller than her now, her head only coming up to the bottom of his chin. "So why don't you shut up, get over here, and help me move this tree, little mouse?"

Redpaw's eyes widened slightly. "You haven't changed at all, Hollyflight." He didn't sound very pleased about that fact as he set his ears back, resigned.

"You got that right," she growled, pleased with his reaction. "Now let's get going already." Her eyes flickered past him to the cats who were watching the exchange, looking rather uncomfortable. "Who are you?"

"These are my friends," Redpaw explained, padding between them to rest his tail tip on the male's shoulder. "This is Crescent. And this is Winnie." He brushed past the she-cat's shoulder, his gaze softening.

Narrowing her eyes slyly, she mewed, "Well, at least you've met some _friends_." She laid the barest emphasis on the word "friends" and watched Redpaw's tail flip behind him in embarrassment. "Anyway, how are we going to move this?"

Windfall hadn't moved since Hollyflight had confronted her brother, still bracing his shoulder against the ragged wood. "By pushing it," he spat out, stepping away. Hollyflight saw that the skin of his shoulder was broken and bleeding.

_He must have torn it pushing on the log, _she thought, feeling a spark of respect for the ShadowClan tom. "Fine by me. We can take this side. Redpaw, you and your friends can take the other side."

Nodding, Redpaw padded over to the other side of the wood and sunk his claws into the soft surface, yanking backwards awkwardly. Crescent and Winnie pressed up beside him, digging in front of the wood so that it would roll towards lower ground.

The fire grew closer behind them, making Hollyflight's hind paws painfully warm from the tongues of flame. _It's just like in my dream, _she realized. _Now all I need is Hollystar to show up and—_

There was a roaring sound and the tree closest to them exploded, sending shattered fragments of wood spinning towards them at lethal speeds.

"Get down!" she hissed, flinging herself sideways and knocking Redpaw to the ground, protecting his injured shoulder with her body. She squeezed her eyes shut as debris pattered down around her, her pelt stinging as sharp scraps of the tree pierced her skin.

As suddenly as it had happened, the rain of shards halted.

Hollyflight, breathing heavily, stepped off of her brother. "Is everyone alright?" she called, but her voice sounded fuzzy in her ears, as if she was underwater. "Windfall? Where are you?"

Redpaw was already shoving a chunk of log off of the white she-cat Winnie, his own shoulder sticky with blood and flecks of bark. Crescent was limping heavily as he moved to help.

Windfall hadn't moved from his position, his pale eyes blazing and his teeth bared as he shoved against the wood.

Hollyflight watched, amazed at his perseverance. "You're bleeding," she pointed out, padding over to him.

Windfall's teeth were gritted as he sat down hard, barely even glancing at his side where splinters bristled like a hedgehog's spines. His blue eyes were blazing with a strength to match the flames that slowly advanced, the roar of the fire deafening. "This can't be how it ends," he spat. "I won't allow it. Not now, not ever. Never again."

Hollyflight didn't know what he was talking about, but she felt the pain behind the words. She closed her eyes, her eyelids lit red by the fire, and took a deep breath, immediately choking on the thick black smoke. "We need to get to higher ground," she rasped. "We'll die if we stay here."

Crescent's eyes were red and squinting as he stumbled over to his sister, pressing his nose into her soot-stained white fur. "Let's go, Winnie."

Redpaw looked torn. "We can't leave her here."

"Wherever she is it's safer than here," Hollyflight muttered, casting one last glance back towards the hole.

Windfall didn't even move, like he hadn't heard them. He dug at the base of the wood with a single-minded intensity, even as blood trickled through his matted pelt.

"Windfall, we have to get moving." Winnie's voice was barely audible over the rush of flames.

"No," he said resolutely.

"This isn't a game, Windfall," Redpaw said more gruffly. "This is life and death now. We need to get out of this smoke."

"I said no!" Windfall spat, turning on the ginger tom with wild eyes. "I won't leave her."

"And if you die?" Redpaw's voice was mocking. "Will you move this tree trunk with your spirit?"

Windfall gritted his teeth. "I don't appreciate your sarcasm, rat. Don't even _try _to pretend you know what to do. I didn't ask you to wait for me. If you want to run, then run. I won't stop you."

"Mousebrain, you'll die here if you don't come!" Redpaw took a step forward, pelt bristling. "I'm not going to allow anyone else to die on my watch."

Hollyflight watched Winnie shoot him a sharp, astonished look. "Redpaw…"

"So you're coming with us whether you like it or—" Redpaw was knocked over immediately by the ShadowClan tom. Windfall snarled as he buried his fangs in Redpaw's scruff and shook him, lifting Redpaw's head off the ground and letting it slam back.

"Hey!" Crescent snapped, running forward. "Knock it off!"

Winnie looked distressed as she paced back and forth with small steps, clearly wondering whether or not to intervene.

Hollyflight didn't have to wonder. She stepped forward and latched her claws loosely in Windfall's scorched fur, yanking him off of her brother. He hit the ash-laden ground behind her with a huff of breath, lying there, stunned. "You're both morons!" she panted, out of breath from the strain of smoke on her lungs. "Idiots! Mousebrains that don't know their tail from a fish! You should be ashamed of yourselves, you harebrained fools!"

"Don't call me a moron," Redpaw spat, licking his wounded chest. "I'm not the one that started it."

"Well, you provoked it! And _you_"—she turned to glare down at Windfall, who had managed to get himself into a half-slumped sitting position—"should know better than to pick fights with cats that are clearly trying to help you, so yeah, that makes you an idiot."

Windfall glared poisonously at her. "I'm not leaving this spot. Try and make me again and you'll feel my claws this time, Hollyflight."

"I'm not going to even try. It's clear that you'd rather sit here and mope and die than to pull out for now and come back when it's safer." She felt disgusted to see this once-proud ShadowClan stink-pelt reduced to this…this thing. A creature so desperate it would rather curl up next to flames and waste its energy than to be reasonable.

Windfall's blue gaze burned into hers for one timeless moment, the flames reflecting in those blue depths like the fire that she was sure blazed inside of him right now. In that instant, inexplicably and instinctually and bizarrely, Hollyflight was sure she could trust this cat to save her sister or die trying.

Then he opened his mouth.

A howl split the air, loud and high and piercing as the cry of a hawk.

Hollyflight hit the ground at once, covering her ears with her paws. "What is that?" she shouted over the shriek.

She glanced up under the thick veil of smoke to see Redpaw staring towards the hole that Amberlight had disappeared down, his face an unmasked expression of horror.

She didn't even get a chance to look before a heavy weight hit her from the side, sending her soaring into a nearby tree and crushing the air from her lungs. She wheezed as she slid down the rough, flame-licked surface of the bark, her head spinning dizzily as she landed on her back, front paws curled up close to her chest.

Through pain-filled eyes and upside-down, Hollyflight saw that the chunk of wood had been shoved away from the mouth of the hole, still smoldering with a low fire, and that a figure was standing at the entrance, obscured by the smoke.

Hollyflight groaned in pain, blinking blood out of her eyes. She squirmed around until she lay on her side, panting.

The figure was standing stock-still behind the curtain of heavy black smoke, but Hollyflight could tell it was a cat, with delicately-pointed ears and a sweeping, swishing tail of long fur. As she watched, the cat turned to face her, a sudden gust of hot wind blowing away the obscuring smokescreen, and Hollyflight felt a jolt of shock that nearly stopped her heart.

Amberlight stood tall and calm, her amber eyes tranquil as she stood in the middle of the roaring firestorm. She turned her cool gaze from Hollyflight, grazing over Redpaw, standing with stunned terror close to where the trunk had landed, and the two white cats, who were crouched in the shelter of the scorched brambles, their snowy pelts bristling, to stare at Windfall.

The ShadowClan tom's every muscle was weak with relief. He stumbled forward, tripping over his own paws as he raced towards her. "Amberlight, thank StarClan you're okay! What happened? Are you injured?"

Amberlight did not answer his questions. With that same strange, almost dreamlike placidity, she turned to face him, eyes bright and lucid. "So you are the ShadowClan tom. Interesting."

That stopped Windfall dead. "W…what are you talking about, Amberlight?"

"And you must be the deserter." She turned to Redpaw, her head tilted to one side. "Two kittypets. Another ThunderClan. And Keegan."

Hollyflight followed her gaze to see a patch of dingy white fur covered with scraps of bark and grass. The cat, Keegan, did not rise at the sound of her voice.

She padded gracefully over to the cat, her pawsteps light and unflinching even though she must have trod on splinters, until she reached him. Delicately pulling the debris off of him, a look of dim surprise crossed her face. "Dead. What a waste you were to us, loner."

Hollyflight felt a chill run through her. _Us?_

Amberlight turned back, away from the prone form of Keegan. "Yes, quite a waste," she repeated, but her eyes were fixed on Windfall. "A waste of emotion, isn't it? Love? So distracting. So pointless." She shook her head. "What does it really mean, to be loved? To trust? To share? Love isn't strength—it is weakness. Love gives another the power to break you, to shatter you, to completely destroy. Don't you think, Windfall?" Her voice took on a lilting quality. Mocking him.

Windfall started, stared, like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Redpaw…the warrior-turned-kittypet. So like one of your own blood to follow Firestar. Kittypet blood will always prevail, won't it? And you, Hollyflight? And even this cat." She sat down, raising one paw to gesture at her own chest. "This body is strong but her heart is weak, riddled through with useless emotion like a nest of maggots."

"What are you?" Windfall's voice was hard, but Hollyflight, through her haze of confusion and denial and pain, could hear the emotion building behind it. "Who are you?"

Redpaw stepped forward, his mouth half-open. "Amberlight?"

"That's the name of this cat," the thing that was not Amberlight said amusedly. "We have taken over for now. This will be the body of our comeback."

"The body of…your comeback?" Hollyflight could only stare like an idiot.

Non-Amberlight seemed to notice. She smirked humorlessly. "Surely you aren't that naïve? Didn't you ever hear the stories of the Place of No Stars?"

Windfall sucked in an astonished breath. "No," he whispered.

"Now that I've told you what we are, we must now kill you." Non-Amberlight bared her fangs, the glistening white surfaces gleaming in the mad light of the fire. "Die, fools."

* * *

**And that's...how the cookie crumbles. XD**

**Okay, I'mma go eat some ice cream but then I'll be right back! XD**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**

**(Also, to fellow Gleeks out there, wasn't that last episode particularly awesome? I mean, I really loved me some Artie in that last one. XD But Kurt is still my fav~)**


	33. Chapter 32

**I'm gonna keep this short so we can get right to the action.**

**Firstly, this is going to be the third-to-last chapter. I was only going to have one more after this one but this chapter ended up longer than I thought it would. **

**Secondly, I hope that you guys have liked this fic so far, even though I've been kinda crappy lately with updates.**

**Thirdly, I should inform you guys about a writing contest that I'm-rather unwillingly-entering that you all should, too. It's called WriDaNoJu, which is basically NaNoWriMo in June. Here's the link for more info: http:/wridanoju(dot)forumotion(dot)com/**

**Alright, now that that's over with, onto the story~**

* * *

Amberlight was freezing.

She had barely moved more than a fox-length from the mouth of the hole and already the cold stone walls of the passage were leaching her warmth away and leaving behind a shivery nervousness that made her heart hammer loudly in her ears and her breath catch at every drip of water and shift of rock she heard.

The first steps were easy, she thought, smooth and even. The scent of the tunnel was wet in her nostrils, a sharp pungent scent that she could only compare to mouse bile and mold. The ground underpaw was covered in a thin layer of moistness that made her paws slick and clumsy. There was no breeze to play across her whiskers or the fresh scent of the forest or dead leaves to scent the air. It was cold, desolate and frightening, and so, so dark. She couldn't see her paws, couldn't see her whiskers. The ground that stretched before her was a blank, shapeless darkness that scared her more than anything she had ever felt before.

But suddenly the ground plunged from underneath her and she was falling through the empty air, spinning wildly as she tried to catch at the wall with her claws, but nothing touched. She panicked, flailing, until she hit the ground with a hard rush of air.

She lay curled into a ball on the wet, slimy ground, letting out a little whimper of pain. Closing her eyes tightly shut, she tried to remember why she had come here, why she had entered this watery, freezing, terrifying nightmare made real.

_StarClan. ThunderClan. Windfall._

They were why she was here. Her ancestors. Her friends and family. And the one cat she loved more than even her own life. _That _was why she was here. _That _was why she had braved the nightmare.

Disgusted at herself, Amberlight pushed herself out of the ball she had curled herself into, pushed herself to her paws, and got her feet underneath her. The sticky wetness had stuck to the side of her face, pressing her whiskers flat against her fur. It was irritating, she noted blankly. _But what's one more thing to add to the pile? _she thought dismissively, walking forward again, but this time she stretched out her paws in front of her, making sure the pathway was clear.

Her paws brushed past something that scattered away. She dipped her head to sniff, poking gingerly at the tiny thin shapes before she realized, gagging, that they were bones. Running her paws around, she felt the rounded shapes of skulls, the brittleness of leg bones and tiny ribs, the sharpness of teeth that poked at her pads.

"Prey," she whispered aloud, her voice sounding hushed and echo-like in her ears. "Prey bones."

The bones crunched under her paws as she stepped away; the remains of long-dead mice and voles were not her concern.

Suddenly, it hit her. Like a flash of lightning, the black washed over her vision.

Flashes of pelts. A gleam of blue eyes, a gentle tongue cleaning her ears. A voice, loud and boisterous, yowling in her ear.

Then the vision stopped.

Amberlight lifted her paw—the one with that strange, unexplainable mark that led her into these waking dreams so easily. Sure enough, the scent of metallic blood was in the air, barely recognizable.

Blinking, she set her paw back down, this time gritting her teeth and closing her eyes as the crusted blood covered her pad.

"Run!" The voice was filled with panic, high-pitched with terror. Fear scent stung at her nostrils as the vision settled over her own mind. Through the eyes of the memory, Amberlight watched as her vision swung wildly back and forth sickeningly. A feeling of weightlessness hung over her, and she could hear a strange, strangled grunting sound coming from behind her.

"What's happening?" she heard her brother said, his voice an irritable complaint. "What's all the noise about?"

Wait, her brother?

Amberlight was confused but let the vision take her, settling down onto her haunches and focusing.

"Yes, and why do we have to be carried? I'm big enough to walk by myself!"

Amberlight turned to see her other brother, a tiny kit with bright eyes, the vibrant blue sticking out of the strange, blurred black-and-white eyes of the dream.

Another voice came from the side, soft and gentle: her mother's voice. "You're being carried because badgers are such big, clumsy creatures. They might tread on you in the dark."

"If a badger stepped on me, I'd bite it!" Amberlight mewed, her voice a tiny squeak. She swiped out with a forepaw to demonstrate.

"You won't get the chance," her mother replied, her voice strained. "Now keep quiet and stop wriggling around, and we'll be perfectly safe."

Something changed then, as if the ground had shifted beneath her, cloudiness came over Amberlight's eyes. She blinked, shaking her head, and her sight righted itself.

Now she was in a clearing—the training hollow, Amberlight realized—and she was facing a much-larger tom with a dark brown pelt. _Dustpelt! _Amberlight barely recognized him. His pelt was healthier-looking, his claws sharp and trimmed, and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he said, "Good. You're improving at a good pace. Keep it up and you'll best your brothers one day."

"I don't need to try harder to best them," Amberlight protested. "I'm already a better fighter and hunter!"

Dustpelt allowed himself a small chuckle. "That pride will be worth your while in a battle, but for now we have to keep your focus on improvement. Keep your mind clear and sharp and you'll be a good warrior. Not great, but good."

Amberlight felt a bubble of warm pride: her mentor did not give praise lightly.

"Now, let's try that battle move again, okay, Hazelpaw?"

_Hazelpaw!_

The name jolted Amberlight out of the vision with a gasp that was startlingly loud in the tunnel. She whipped her paw out of the dried blood, feeling a shudder of revulsion and queasy sickness that made her stomach roil. _This is Hazeltail's blood, _she thought blankly. _Oh…_

Keegan had gotten to Hazeltail, she realized, the sick feeling rising in her throat. That's why she was found bloodless. That's why her body was unharmed except for the slash across her throat. Amberlight herself had watched Keegan drain poor Splashstep of blood just days ago, though it felt like a lifetime.

The shivering feeling grew in her legs and she stepped forward again, this time keeping her special paw tucked up against her chest as she hobbled along.

The vividness of Hazeltail's blood-memory still haunted Amberlight's thoughts. She had _felt _the swinging of Hazeltail—then Hazelkit's—body as someone carried her, and she had felt the satisfaction of Dustpelt's praise.

She even managed a shaky laugh as she realized the blue-eyed kit was Berrynose.

The laughter died in her throat as her whiskers brushed against something. She stopped suddenly, turning her head minutely to each side to see if she was just getting too close to one side, but it was equally as small. Frowning, she dipped down and poked along the wall. A small hole was worn into the wall, whether by the foul water that had supposedly flowed here once or by something else, she wasn't sure.

"Is this what you want me to do, StarClan?" she muttered to herself. "Crawl into this hole and probably die?"

She hadn't expected an answer.

A light flickered across her vision, brilliantly blue-white for a split-second before vanishing.

Amberlight gasped, taking several steps backwards in shock. "H-hello?" she called out, not sure what to do now. "StarClan?" She felt like an idiot, calling into the darkness after a light.

Another light burst to the side of her vision, disappearing just as quickly. Then another, this one floating over gently to land on the top of her nose. It was neither hot nor cold, but a warmth she associated with kithood—somehow comforting. She had to nearly cross her eyes to look at it before it, too, vanished.

"They must be fireflies," she told herself, but even she didn't believe her own words. Why should she even try at this point to rationalize anything that was going on?

The lights reminded her of the light of Silverblaze, Blackflower, and Hollystar that had followed her through her dreams for the past few moons. It was comforting to see, despite the resentment she had felt toward the trio of cats caught between StarClan and the Dark Forest.

The lights were winking in and out of existence around the small entrance, lighting the way for her.

Amberlight dropped to her belly and scooted forward, wedging her shoulders under the lip of the hole and squirming inside. The top of the tunnel pressed terrifyingly close to her back and she panicked for a few heartbeats, her breath wild in her ears as she fought the overpowering desire to turn around and go back.

After a few tense moments of shuffling forward, the tunnel swooped outwards and upwards, creating a small alcove. She could even see a little in the firelight that flickered through a hole in the ceiling.

The walls were slick with mildew and trickles of foul water. Bunches of a thin, pale-colored moss hung heavily from the ceiling, tickling against her pricked ears as she ducked underneath them. Ash filtered down through the space in the high ceiling, coating the ground in a thin, soft layer that muffled the sound of her pawsteps, leaving her own nervous breathing and the distant crackling of flames the only sounds she could hear.

At the center of the cave, raised a few tail-lengths above the rest of the ground, was a small black rock, the pitted surface both glassy-smooth and sharp-edged. As she approached, it seemed to glow a little in the half-light.

Amberlight paused in front of it, not sure what to do. The lights were still floating around her, fading in and out as they drifted across her vision.

"Blood," one of them whispered in a voice like the wind through leaves.

If she hadn't been so focused, she would have jumped in surprise. The rock had a gripping effect on her; she watched it, entranced, as one of the little lights landed on top, pulsing bright white before vanishing.

"Blood," another breathed, floating just past her ear.

"Yes," she said slowly, agreeably. "Blood."

She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open now. The little lights were confusing her; they kept floating around her head, brushing against her ears and whiskers, their tiny voices bewildering as she watched the light playing across the glistening face of the rock.

She shook her head and the lights scattered, then floated back and continued their slow orbits around her head. Vaguely amused by their antics, Amberlight wondered if the warriors of StarClan had drifted down from the sky to dance around her in these tiny stars.

"Blood." The whispers sounded more insistent now.

Blinking rapidly, Amberlight tore her gaze away from the lights and refocused on the rock. "Right. Blood."

Her shoulder was still bleeding from when she had run through the brambles to see Windfall, but when she dipped down to rub the cuts against the rock, the lights zoomed in front of her.

"No," one whispered while another hissed, "Your paw."

"Paw."

"Blood."

"Yes. Yes."

"Come," one light whispered, its voice so tantalizingly tranquil. "Come and rest, Amberlight. You have done well, dear one. Rest with us now."

The lights were flickering in and out of her vision quicker now, excited with what she was doing, it seemed.

_This seems wrong. _Amberlight couldn't shake that thought, even as she extended her paw—the one with that strange mark on it—towards the rock, hesitating a kitten-step away from the gleaming surface. _My paw isn't even bleeding._

It was silent now. Even the lights had faded. It was as if the whole world was holding its breath.

Just when she was about to pull away, there was a sibilant hiss. The sound shattered the tense silence and made her jump.

Her pad pressed against the ice-cold rock.

Amberlight screamed.

In that instant, she knew she was dead. The pain was blinding, constricting, overwhelming. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move enough to pull her paw away from where it burned against the rock.

She screamed until her throat was raw.

Her paw was vibrating strongly against the pitted surface of the rock and at once, with a brilliant flash of light, the tiny orbs of blue-white light condensed around her, pressing against her fur and wounded skin.

But this time their touch was not gentle and warm. They burned against her skin like venom.

Their whispers were sharp with fiendish glee now. "Stupid kit," one of them hissed scathingly. "So naïve."

"Let me go! Oh, StarClan, save me!" Amberlight screeched, her voice no more than a raspy whisper. The pain crashed over her like a wave and she begged StarClan to kill her, to end it so she wouldn't have to feel that agony anymore. She begged and pleaded within her own mind for release.

There was a low chuckle that ruffled her ear fur. "So this is what it means to live," he—for the voice was unmistakably male—growled. "I had forgotten. It has been so long."

The lights that stung at Amberlight had turned red, each a slitted and staring eye filled with menace. Flying to the walls, they grouped into pairs and hung just off the ground, shadowy bodies filling in the empty air around them.

More darkness spilled from the place her paw met the rock like overflowing water. It ran over her paws, sucking the warmth from her body.

Amberlight yowled in fury and agony, finally managing to pull herself away from the rock. She fled to the edge of the cave, huddling against the cold wall as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her disbelieving eyes.

Shadow cats now filled the cave, their gleaming red eyes glowing in the darkness like a fox's. They prowled over to each other, prodding the fellow cats around them with paws as curious as a newborn kit's.

"A miracle," one breathed, looking at his own paw in rapt fascination.

"No." It was the cat who had first spoken to Amberlight. "It is not a miracle. It is my doing." He turned to Amberlight, his own eyes fading to a dark amber that was more fearsome than the red. "I am the one who created this. I am the one who made our glorious return. I, Brokenstar, will once again hold the Clans in my claws!"

"Brokenstar," Amberlight repeated in a breathless whisper. She had heard stories of this cat. He had ruled over ShadowClan generations ago with fierce and merciless tyranny.

Brokenstar's shadowy pelt was becoming more distinct as she watched. Though it was still transparent, she could now pick out the black tabby stripes from his brown pelt. "I must thank you, Amberlight. We have been hoping you would come to us. When we first saw you, we knew it would work."

Amberlight couldn't respond. Her throat seemed to not be functioning now that he had trained those pitiless eyes on her and stepped so close she could smell him—his scent of ice and decay.

"Bluestar. Firestar. Hollystar. Lionstar. These are the past leaders of ThunderClan. These are the cats that have shaped your Clan's history. Brave warriors. Intelligent leaders." Brokenstar's voice was filled with cynicism as he narrowed his eyes slyly at her. "Your kin."

The other cats of the Dark Forest laughed.

"Nevertheless," Brokenstar continued, now circling slowly around the cave, "you were useful to our rebirth. Only you, of course. The kind one. The gentle one. The responsible one. The one so addled by love and familial bond that you would give your life for your Clan."

"Like any brave warrior would do," Amberlight hissed, finding her voice and hearing how piteously small it sounded next to Brokenstar's confident mew.

Brokenstar looked amused. "Maybe a foolhardy warrior. An intelligent warrior—_leader_—knows that his life will make sure the Clan carries on. What a waste, throwing away one's life for another. How can you see your own cause come to fruition of you are dead?" He stopped his pacing. "But I digress."

Amberlight got to her paws as Brokenstar flicked his tail to his dozen or so warriors, her eyes darting from one to the other. Now that she was standing, her head pounded and her legs shook with exhaustion. _They did something to me…why am I suddenly so weak? I can barely stand here without collapsing. How am I supposed to fight them off?_

"StarClan betrayed you, kit. They allowed you to come here."

"They didn't know what you were planning," she protested.

"They knew. They just didn't care." Brokenstar's smirk was simultaneously insulting and disturbing. "Why would they care about pathetic little specks running around down here when they've got their noses so high in the air? Why would they want to even bother to save the pitiful lives of a few warriors when they can keep their pride and arrogance?"

"The only arrogant one I see is _you__!_" Amberlight spat at him when he walked by.

He pulled back, anger darkening his face like a thundercloud. "Don't test my patience," he spat, sending a chill down Amberlight's spine. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is that you are still needed."

Another tom leaned down out of the crowd and Amberlight nearly gasped. _Brambleclaw? _

But no, this cat was not her father's father. One of his ears was sliced nearly to where it joined his head and a thick scar bisected the bridge of his nose. The glistening tip of a scar was visible on his chest as he leered at her. "We should just get on with it."

"Silence, Tigerstar." Brokenstar didn't even turn around.

The two toms at Tigerstar's side hissed indignantly. "You can't talk to him like that!" one, a silver tabby, snapped, hastily backtracking when Brokenstar whirled on him, spitting.

The tom at Tigerstar's other shoulder—looking so much like the older tom that he had to be Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw's infamous brother—just glared at Brokenstar, his eyes two chips of blue ice.

Brokenstar ignored them. "So, Amberlight, are you ready?" He turned towards her, dark eyes lit with expectation.

"I won't help you," she snarled softly, feeling a sinking sensation in her heart, a plummeting in her belly that she immediately recognized: betrayal.

Hollystar and the other two had betrayed her.

They had sent her here. They had told her to go down this nightmarish black tunnel to go to this rock and seal the gate with her blood. But when she had placed her pad against the black rock, it hadn't sealed the gate: it had shattered it.

Brokenstar didn't seem to hear here. Stepping lightly towards her, he dipped his head to look her in the eyes. She could see her own scared face reflected in those dark amber depths.

"Now, friend, let's see strong that heart of yours _really_ is."

* * *

Boiling. That's what it felt like.

She had seen it once before; a fire when she was younger had sent flaming twigs into the water of the lake. The water had hissed and bubbled at the contact, spitting drops of hot liquid onto her paws. The skin had stung like a burn.

That's what it was like, feeling the pelts of this shadowy cats brushing up against hers, touching her paws, running their tails long her flanks. But as they poked and prodded at her, she felt a strange tug at her skin. She twisted her head around to see the scratches along her shoulders healing rapidly, the scabs forming then falling off within a heartbeat and leaving healthy pink skin underneath.

"We can't have you wounded, you know." This time it wasn't Brokenstar speaking, but a small gray-brown tom with one eye. He had trotted close to glance over where her wounds had been, sniffing lightly at her pelt while she shuddered away in revulsion. "It's fine now, Brokenstar."

"Thank you, Graytuft." Brokenstar stepped up to the cat's side. "A fine medicine cat still, eh?"

Graytuft's single eye gleamed. "Of course."

The other cats were pressing close again, eyes bright red and glowing.

Then with a rush of motion, they condensed into a dark mist that swirled around her, tugging at her long, matted fur, burning with prickling sensations along her spine. She coughed, breathing in sharply then gagging when the mist drove down her nose and mouth, coating her tongue with the clogging scent of death.

"Yes, this will do nicely." She felt her jaw move without her consent, the tone satisfied.

"Leave…leave me alone," she growled out, feeling agony as she protested against the movements that were now carrying her back up the tunnel. She dug her claws into the slimy ground but it gave beneath her paws, her legs shaking as she fought to regain control of her own body.

_Stop protesting. _Now Brokenstar's voice filled her mind, his sharp-edged tone confident. _It won't be long. Soon we'll reach the surface and then…_ He trailed off, the glee in his voice nearly tangible.

Other voices were swirling in her head as well, dark chuckles, giddy laughter, a high-pitched keen.

_The surface! The sun and wind and moon on our backs once again!_

"Calm down," Brokenstar said with Amberlight's voice. "It will be time soon."

How did this happen? Why had Hollystar and the others given her up to the Dark Forest? Hadn't she done what they said? Didn't they want to keep these cats apart from StarClan?

_They must have wanted to join the Dark Forest but couldn't, _she thought as she felt her paws take a different path than the one she had come from, this one hidden under a hanging bunch of that strange pungent moss.

Her mind seemed to flit in and out consciousness as she walked up the steep tunnel, one moment ducking under the roof of it and the next leaping up a series of tumbled rocks until weak light spilled over her paws.

Blinking back into awareness with difficulty, Amberlight saw that she was back where she started, that same thick slice of wood blocking her way. But this time, gentle firelight waved across her paws and cast her shadow on the walls around her. With a chilling tremble down her spine, she realized that her shadow was drifting wildly, several sets of ears and tails visible as if she was a spider.

"A small difficulty, my allies," Brokenstar whispered through her throat. "Watch how our strength has grown."

Amberlight realized what he was going to do. This was her last chance to stop it.

"No!" she cried, digging her claws into the stone beneath her and feeling the grating feeling of screeching rock. "I won't allow this!"

_Shut up, kit, _Tigerstar's low voice mewed. _You have no choice in the matter._

"This is _my _body!" she gritted out, arching her back as her paws fought to move forward. "Not yours!"

_Delightful. _Brokenstar sounded truly amused. _You are a fighter. It will be all the more pleasing now when I break you._

Amberlight gasped as her throat constricted. She choked, wheezing for breath. _Oh, StarClan, _she thought as her vision swam. _He's going to kill me._

_What's the use in killing you now when we have so much left to accomplish? _

Brokenstar's low, humorless laugh followed her into oblivion.

* * *

Amberlight awoke with a gasp, her eyes flying open.

She was lying on her back in the middle of a wide, grassy plain with the cool night air blowing across her face. Stars as bright as tiny fireflies glowed above her head.

She shuddered away from those lights.

"Amberlight."

She whipped around at the sound of her name, breath catching in her chest. _They're back for me. They're really going to kill me this time. _

"Calm down," the she-cat said. "I won't hurt you."

Amberlight blinked rapidly. "Hazeltail?"

The gray-and-white she-cat nodded solemnly. "It's me."

"But…" Amberlight was confused. "How are you here?"

Hazeltail's eyes were gentle. "I've come to deliver a message."

"From StarClan?" Amberlight couldn't keep the sharpness out of her voice. "Do they know what's going on here?" Suddenly, she blinked, looking around. This certainly wasn't the dank tunnel she had last been in, nor the fiery forest she had seen glowing in a halo around the edges of the tree trunk. "Where are we?"

"This is simply a meeting place. It's origin is of no importance now." Hazeltail looked behind Amberlight's shoulder. "So you have come as well."

"I said we would," came the irritably reply, and Splashstep stalked by, a light ginger-furred she-cat just behind her. "Hey, ThunderClan," she greeted blandly.

"Splashstep!" Amberlight was shocked. "This really is StarClan."

"Not quite." The ginger she-cat tilted her head to one side. "So you're really the one, huh? The Chosen One by my oh so wonderful murderer." She sounded bitterly angry.

"Calm down, Rosecloud." Hazeltail sounded rather annoyed.

"I am perfectly calm, Hazeltail." But her voice was tense with irritation. She turned to Amberlight. "You don't know me, do you?"

"You look familiar," Amberlight replied, her heart still hammering. "And you smell like ShadowClan."

Rosecloud smirked. "Well, at least your nose is working, Chosen One."

"Cut it out." Surprisingly, Splashstep came to her defense. "It's not her fault you died."

Rosecloud's fur bristled. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been picked out."

Hazeltail just sighed, rolling her eyes. "We're wasting time here."

Splashstep glowered at the ShadowClan she-cat. "Yeah, Rose_thorn._"

Rosecloud looked coldly back at her. "Stupid rabbit-chasing furball."

"Enough!" Hazeltail's patience snapped like a dry twig. "Can you two please concentrate for half a heartbeat?"

Rosecloud spat at Splashstep, who walked by on stiff legs, teeth bared.

It was surreal, Amberlight thought. Totally surreal. One moment she was in a living nightmare and the next she was watching dead she-cats bicker over why they died.

Settling down beside her, Splashstep lowered her voice. "We've come to tell you how to stop them."

A jolt of dull surprise coursed through Amberlight. "They can't be stopped," she mewed tonelessly. "They told me themselves."

"You've been seeing Hollystar." Hazeltail framed it as a statement of fact.

"Yes." Amberlight felt a surge of revulsion and hatred. "That lying, traitorous—"

"She was right."

That shut Amberlight up. Staring at Hazeltail like an idiot, she stuttered, "I don't understand."

Rosecloud sighed heavily. "You're too quick to jump to the blame, Amberlight. Hollystar, the Raven, and her mate had it right. Partially, that is."

_The Raven? _Shaking her head, Amberlight asked, "So StarClan know what's going on?"

"We only realized it once the Place of No Stars was opened." Splashstep pulled a face. "That made a rift big enough for even the kits of StarClan to notice."

"Hollystar told you it was your blood, correct?" Hazeltail looked sympathetic, her blue eyes gentle. "Her and the others?"

"Y-yes," she mewed, "but—"

"No, they were right. Only your blood can stop them."

"But…they're inside me. The shadows."

"Yes, but did they do something to you before that?"

Amberlight thought back to those harrowing moments. "They healed me," she said suddenly, turning to face Hazeltail, who was looking at her with a gentle satisfaction. "They healed my wounds."

"So her blood couldn't get to them," Rosecloud murmured. "Brilliant."

"I have to go back down, then." The thought filled her with horror. "Go back down that tunnel to the rock again."

Splashstep scoffed. "That's an awful idea."

"Would you rather they dispose of her themselves, Splashstep?" Rosecloud's voice was scathing.

Amberlight shivered. "I've already committed to dying. If it will help the Clans—"

"But what about what _you _want, Amberlight?" Splashstep snapped. "Do you really want to be possessed by those fleabags? Do you really want to do that? If you join StarClan with us now, you won't have to go through that."

Amberlight was stunned. _Join StarClan now? _

Rosecloud spat angrily. "And what? All of this for nothing?" She swept her tail around to gesture to the three of them.

"We have asked her to do enough," the WindClan warrior spat back. "StarClan would be honored to take her now. I'll do it right here." She spun to face Amberlight. "Is that what you want, Amberlight? You can end this all. Right now."

"The Dark Forest would still have her body," Rosecloud pointed out caustically. "Did you add that into your calculations?"

"It's her own choice, Rosecloud." Hazeltail, who had been silent up until then, turned her gaze on Amberlight. "We can't make it for her."

Rosecloud's fur was bristling and she bared her fangs. "Then I will have died for _nothing_," she snarled.

"Your death was an accident," Hazeltail said, her voice firm. "It's not Amberlight's fault."

"It's because I looked like her!" Rosecloud's voice was filled with anger. "It's because of my fur! If she hadn't been born I'd be alive right now!"

"Shame on you," Hazeltail snapped. "Shame on you for that, Rosecloud. You're dishonoring your Clan."

"Shut up, kittypet!" Rosecloud snapped back. "I don't need your approval!"

"Why don't you shut up, ShadowClan?" Splashstep suggested quietly, her head lowered and her eyes glaring. "At least you were a senior warrior. I had just gotten my warrior name. Don't you know how it works in WindClan? No, you never bothered to ask. The first night after an apprentice is named, she is sent to patrol the borders and protect her Clan. The night I got my warrior name is the same night I died." Her voice was filled with pain and barely-contained fury. "So get your nose out of the air and think about someone else for a change, you selfish, miserable old she-cat."

Amberlight felt a pang of anguish for the young WindClan warrior. "I'm sorry," she whispered raggedly. "I'm so sorry, Splashstep."

"It's not your fault." Splashstep didn't look at her. "It's Keegan's fault. And now he's nowhere, which is exactly where he belongs."

Hazeltail stepped closer. "Your choice, Amberlight?"

Amberlight didn't even have to give it a second thought. "I'll see you soon anyway," she said calmly, but her legs were shaking. "What's a few more moments?"

Hazeltail's eyes gleamed with respect.

Rosecloud didn't say anything, keeping her eyes averted.

Amberlight turned to Splashstep. "Thank you for the offer, but I have to refuse. I've got some friends to go rescue down there."

Splashstep blinked. "Thank _you _for saving me from Keegan that night. You saved me a lot of pain." She bowed her head respectfully. "I'm in your debt."

Hazeltail stepped forward until she was right in front of Amberlight, her blue eyes calm and clear as a green-leaf sky. "We will see you soon, Amberlight: the daughter of leaders and the hero of the Clans." Then she pressed her nose to Amberlight's head and the world went dark.

* * *

**Sorry to leave ya hanging there. XD Next update's gonna be either tomorrow or the day after since my summer classes kicked back in full-force. =\\\\\ Writing classes are really fun, but not so much when you have to drive an hour and a half to get to them.**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	34. Chapter 33

**Whew. Writing classes take up a looooot of time, guys. =\ **

**On the plus side, this is the second-to-last chapter. :D**

**On the minus side, this is the second-to-last chapter. D:**

**Also, how epic was that Glee season finale~? -squees-**

**But I digress.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Amberlight awoke with a gasp and a feeling like she had just resurfaced from icy water. In front of her disbelieving eyes, her littermates, Windfall, and the two white kittypets stared at her with shock and horror, their pelts spiked and their fear scent filling the air with its bitter tang. She could nearly taste in on her tongue as she blinked rapidly.

Then Brokenstar had her in his claws again.

_So bothersome, _he thought to her, his voice a scathing, acidic hiss. _Why can't you just be quiet and hold still?_

_I will not allow you to hurt them, _she snarled back to him, digging her claws into the rough and blackened soil beneath her paws.

She felt him chuckle, the sound racketing off her skull as if bees filled her body. _You are a brave one, aren't you? Well, let's see how long that lasts, shall we? _

Her body moved forward, teeth grinding together and claws scraping the ground, as she slowly moved towards a stunned and astonished Windfall.

The ShadowClan tom was bleeding from his shoulder, splinters bristling bloodily from his mess of white fur. He did not move as she approached, though she could see his pupils were dilated with fear.

"Windfall." The creature—for she could no longer give him the honor of calling him a cat—hissed the words through Amberlight's throat. "Dear Windfall."

"Amber…Amberlight?" His eyes flickered wildly between hers, a deep confusion in the pale depths. "No," he said slowly. "No, you aren't Amberlight."

"I am," Brokenstar insisted. "They tried to kill me, Windfall. I was so scared."

He almost looked like he believed it. "You're a liar!" he spat, trying to get to his paws but stumbling pitifully as he put weight on his injured shoulder. The look on his face made Amberlight want to cry out in a pain so sharp it felt like a physical blow.

Redpaw rushed out and to his side, staring at Amberlight like she was a stranger. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice harsh and cracked from the smoke.

"I'm your sister," the shadowy cats insisted, their voices hushed and whispered inside her head but clear once they left her throat. "We were kits together, don't you remember?"

Redpaw's face darkened. "You filthy liar!" he hissed, pushing the wounded Windfall behind him protectively, even though his own shoulder was dripping blood. "Amberlight, are you in there? Say something!"

Amberlight wanted to, desperately. But Brokenstar and the other Dark Forest cats' hold was strong over her, making her jaws clamp shut when she tried to speak.

Crescent and Winnie ran forward, their long white pelts stained with soot and ash. They stood staunchly at Redpaw's sides, each baring snowy fangs and claws as sharp as blackthorns.

_Ah, look how they try to fight, _Brokenstar whispered gleefully. _So naïve. _

The blow came out of nowhere.

Amberlight gasped, feeling her mind sharpen as if a film of water had been removed from her eyes, allowing her to see clearly.

Hollyflight swerved to a stop, whipping back around. Her claws were stained with blood.

Slowly, Amberlight felt her head turn to look down at her front leg—a single line of torn fur marked the place of the slice, a tiny bead of blood forming.

At once, Amberlight's mind reverberated with a crashing echo of screams.

She fell to the ground, covering her ears with her paws but the sound continued, filling her brain with piercing jabs of noise as painful as if someone had shoved a sliver of rock into her head. Her eyes watered as the sound continued, but she couldn't make it stop.

Brokenstar's screech sounded above them all. He was thrashing, his shadow body writhing within Amberlight's shadow—she could see it from the corner of her eyes.

She blinked open her eyes wide, gasping and panting, to look Windfall in the eyes.

He stared back at her as if her gaze was a lifeline. "Amberlight," he whispered.

"It's my blood," she said quickly. "It's my blood. They need my blood. That's why they took over my body. Don't trust what I say, because it isn't me. Windfall, please help me. They're going to use me to take over the Clans. They—" She choked off as her throat constricted. She fell to the ground, the sensation of her chest thudding on the cold ground feeling very distant, as if it really wasn't her body.

Windfall scrambled towards her. "Amberlight!"

But the Dark Forest regained control. She felt her paw swat out, slicing a line of fur loose from Windfall's face.

He recoiled with a yowl of pain.

The sound cut through Amberlight like a claw. She tried to drive the shadow cats from her mind with renewed vigor.

Brokenstar was cursing deep in her mind. _Stupid, stupid, stupid she-cat. She goes first. _

Amberlight didn't have to wonder who he meant—already, her body was moving towards Hollyflight.

Hollyflight looked alarmed for a split-second before she attacked again, diving under Amberlight's slash to shove her chest backward, knocking the breath out of her. Hollyflight jumped on top of her sister's body, holding down her flailing paws with her own, all the while screeching, "Amberlight! Wake up! Leave her alone!"

In a strange distant kind of way, Amberlight imagined that the scene would look comical to a cat passing by.

Hollyflight's claws dug loosely into Amberlight's long fur and she knew she had a chance.

"Blood," she managed to spit out before her jaws clamped shut.

Hollyflight's eyes flashed with understanding, but she hesitated. "I…I can't."

Amberlight hissed inside her mind, glaring at her sister. _You must!_

"This is our container," Brokenstar spat, writhing. "You can't have it back. It belongs to me."

Hollyflight shook Amberlight. "Fight!" she spat. "Fight, already! Don't give up!"

Redpaw managed to limp heavily over and hold down Amberlight's flailing hind paws. "What's happening? What does she want?"

"She wants me to make her bleed," Hollyflight said bluntly, her claws tightening ever so slightly in Amberlight's fur. "Her blood has something to do with this whole thing. Didn't you see the way she reacted when I caught her across the paw? She screamed."

_Did I? _Amberlight couldn't remember. The memory of that shrieking pain in her mind made her shudder.

Hollyflight noticed. "Amberlight?" she asked, sounding desperate.

Crescent's voice came from beyond Amberlight's range of view: "What are we going to do?"

"We have to get rid of those cats," Winnie spit out. "Didn't you see her shadow when you got her? There were…multiple." She sounded sick. "Like there're spirits inside of her."

"Not spirits," Windfall spat. "Evil cats. Cats of the Dark Forest."

"The Dark Forest?" Redpaw sounded confused.

"It's where StarClan send the cats that murdered or stole or were traitors to the warrior code," Windfall explained swiftly, sounding angry. "That's who's got her now. Those filthy traitors have got her in their claws."

"This is what she went down there for?" Hollyflight sounded enraged. "How do we get rid of them?"

"I don't know." Windfall's paws thudded close to Amberlight's ears as he paced quickly. "The fire is growing, so we need to get her away from here. Maybe a medicine cat could help her."

"Medicine cats can't do anything for this cat," the Dark Forest cats hissed, forcing their multiple voices through Amberlight's throat in an overlapping whisper that chilled her. "She is ours. We will never give up this body."

Hollyflight and Redpaw recoiled at the sound, fur fluffed up on end. Her sister's wide amber eyes darkened as she stepped back forward, head tilted to one side. "Who are you?" she whispered, more dark threat in her voice than Amberlight had ever heard.

_Why don't you do the honors, Tigerstar? _Brokenstar suggested. _These are your kin after all._

Tigerstar chuckled. "We are the ones that the light rejected, young one. The ones that your precious StarClan hid from you."

"StarClan wouldn't do that," Hollyflight protested. "They would tell someone…the Clans or the leaders."

Amberlight blanked out for a moment, and when she awoke again, she was on her paws advancing on Redpaw. She felt a sense of suffocating confusion as she looked at the rage on her little brother's face. _What happened? Why did I lose consciousness like that?_

_We are slowly gaining control. Soon you'll be nothing but a memory. With this body and this voice, we will rule the forest of the living!_

Amberlight wanted to gasp, to grit her teeth, to be horrified—everything that she could not be, everything that these cats had taken from her. Why had this happened? Didn't Hazeltail and Rosecloud and Splashstep tell her they would help her? Didn't they tell her to fight this? How could she fight if she didn't even have her own paws?

Blood. That's what Hollystar had told her was needed to stop this. That's why the Dark Forest had lost their grip on her when Hollyflight scratched her. Maybe the more blood that spilled, the more they would undo their bonds on her.

So when her body moved forward again, Amberlight readied herself, keeping her mind focused on Windfall's face, Hollyflight's horrified expression, Redpaw's unsheathed claws—anything but the thoughts of overthrowing Brokenstar.

Her paw caught a loose branch that jutted up from the ground, and Brokenstar grunted in surprise, his hold slipping.

In that instant, Amberlight regained control. She bent her neck and, closing her eyes tight and bracing herself for pain, bit deep into her forepaw.

The reaction was immediate and blinding.

Ten times—a _hundred_ times—stronger than the previous reaction, the Dark Forest howled with agony.

Amberlight fell to the ground, her pelt on fire, every nerve in her body screaming with pain. Her jaws opened in a soundless wail as she hit the ground, knocking the breath out of her body.

And then there was silence.

Amberlight panted and writhed on the ground, twisting around until her belly was underneath her. She covered her ears with her paws again, the weakest sounds of fire crackling and branches shifting seeming to drive white-hot cinders into her brain.

When she recovered, her mind was clear.

She sat up slowly, squinting through her half-closed eyes at the shocked faces of her friends and littermates. "Hey," she rasped out, her voice cracking mid-word.

Windfall cautiously approached, the line of fur along his spine on edge. "Are…are you back?"

"For now." Now that her mind was clear, Amberlight knew that time was short. "I need to get back to that rock."

"Rock?" Hollyflight sounded like she was challenging her sanity. "Oh, no. You can't go back there. Now that you're here, we need to—"

"There's nothing that can be done." Amberlight felt old, like she had aged seasons in a heartbeat. "I have to go there. I can sense it."

"I am so sick of this," Redpaw snarled unexpectedly. "Of this StarClan business. Why do a bunch of dead cats supposedly watching over us get to tell you to die? They had their chance!"

"Redpaw." Winnie's voice was a soft warning.

He ignored her. "I won't allow this to happen, Amberlight. I just got back home to the Clan! I won't let you throw that away!"

"I'm not throwing anything away," Amberlight snapped, knowing that time was ticking away. "I'm not doing this because I want to! I'm doing this because I _have _to!"

Redpaw growled low in his throat. "Because some cat told you to do it in a dream?"

Amberlight's vision flickered and she leaned forward suddenly, feeling cold and sick. She gasped as her head swam. "I don't have time to argue," she panted when she had recovered. "I don't have any more time. I have to go now."

Redpaw lowered his head, eyes burning. "I can't."

Hollyflight, a drip of blood running down between her eyes, looked between them. "Amberlight…"

"Please, Hollyflight," she rasped out breathlessly. "Please let me do this. Don't…don't make this harder than it has to be."

Confusion crossed her face. "Are you certain? I mean, this is what you really want to do?"

"Yes," Amberlight answered.

"And nothing we say is going to change your mind?"

"Nothing," she echoed.

A look of pain crossed Hollyflight's face, and for once, she didn't hide it. "Then I won't stop you."

"What?" Redpaw turned on her with a hiss of disbelief. "You'll let her do this?"

Hollyflight's expression hardened and she looked away sharply. "It's not my place to tell her what to do."

"But she's our sister!" he protested hotly. "You'd let her go die?"

"Amberlight can do whatever she wants!" Hollyflight yowled, her voice shockingly loud and angry. "If this is what she wants to do, there's nothing we can do! If you can't deal with that, then go ahead and try to stop her. But while you're doing that, think of the example you'd be setting for your friends." Her gaze flickered to the white cats and away.

Redpaw didn't drop his gaze. "You think this will accomplish something, Amberlight?" he demanded, not looking away from Hollyflight's challenging stare.

"Yes," Amberlight answered truthfully.

He sighed heavily, padding up next to her and gently pressing his muzzle into the side of her neck.

Hollyflight came up beside him and flicked Amberlight with her tail. "I guess that's that," she said simply, but her voice cracked halfway through. Clearing it, she muttered, "What do we say now? 'Go get 'em?'"

Amberlight laughed softly. "Something like that." After pushing her nose into her sister's soft gray fur and rubbing her cheek along Redpaw's uninjured shoulder, she stepped away from her littermates and towards the gape in the ground behind her. "I guess…I'll be seeing you."

Redpaw inclined his head awkwardly.

Hollyflight took a step forward, then stopped. "I…I'll see you later, Amberlight."

Amberlight tried to swallow past the hard lump in her throat as she turned to face the white kittypets. "Take care of my littermates," she told them. "If Redpaw trusts you, I know I can trust you with them."

Crescent nodded stiffly, looking simultaneously uncomfortable and worrisome. Winnie trotted forward and gently touched noses with her. "May StarClan light your path," she said gently.

Surprised by the gesture, Amberlight nodded. "You two will make great warriors."

Windfall, who had been silent this whole time, got to his paws silently as she approached the cave, his eyes expressionless.

"I guess this is goodbye," she whispered, feeling her heart plummet into the dark cloud that threatened to overtake her again.

Windfall's tail twitched behind him. "You really think that?" he asked in a calm, low voice.

"I can't let you come with me," she responded softly.

"I'm not giving you a choice," he said lightly. "Besides, I couldn't let you go down there yourself—what if you get scared of the dark?"

Amberlight pressed her nose against his fur. "You have to go home to ShadowClan."

"My home is wherever you are." He licked her ear gently. "This is the only way I'd ever have it."

Again, her vision flashed black and white, accompanied this time with an echoing yowl that sounding like someone calling from far away.

"We have to hurry." She turned back to her siblings. Redpaw had padded over to Hollyflight and was leaning heavily on her shoulder, his own shoulder bleeding still. Her sister's amber eyes were full of a sadness that made Amberlight's heart squeeze painfully. She gave her a nod; Hollyflight's responding nod was barely a quick jerk.

Then she turned her back on her family and plunged into the darkness, Windfall hesitating. "Wait one second," he mewed quickly, spinning back to run over to Hollyflight and Redpaw, whispering something quickly to them. Amberlight saw her sister's eyes widen minutely and Redpaw straightened, answering back in a low voice. Hollyflight shook her head rapidly but Windfall cut across her angrily, his voice still barely above a murmur. She finally relented, nodding.

Windfall nodded as well, padding back over to Amberlight's side and pressing his nose into her fur. "Okay. I'm good now."

Amberlight wanted to ask him what he had told her littermates but knew that it would just be more painful. She locked eyes with Redpaw and Hollyflight one more time, feeling a hard lump rise in her throat, before ducking under the edge of the cave and stumbling forward into the darkness.

It was easier to make it down this time. Her paws seemed to take her by themselves as her mind fought against the Dark Forest cats' consciousness that was growing stronger with each beat of her heart and intake of breath. _Just a few more moments, _she thought, panting from the strain of walking on her self-injured leg. _A few more moments and this will all be over._

She glanced behind her to see Windfall's pale eyes lit by the fire that still burned outside. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice wavering a little in the narrow tunnel.

"We're almost there," she told him, her voice shaking.

He nodded in return, keeping his eyes low.

Amberlight recognized the rounded room immediately, looking around for that small opening that led to the larger alcove where that rock rested. She found it quickly, dropping to her belly to wiggle through it, feeling the seeping condensation of moss press into her back, soaking through her thick fur and leaving behind a creeping chill that did nothing for her anxiety.

Now that she was back in that dreaded cave, the Dark Forest rallied inside her mind, their shrieks and yowls bouncing off of her skull and vibrating down through her entire body.

_Release us! _one yowled. _We have waited too long for this moment. _

"Be quiet!" she hissed.

"I'm not saying anything," Windfall protested, padding up to her side, his nose crinkled in disgust.

"Not you," she explain, wincing through watering eyes. "Them."

A look of concern crossed his face. "Are you okay?"

"For now." She gritted her teeth and stepped forward again, sniffing out where the black rock was. "Do you see a rock around here?"

Windfall immediately bent down and began to search, his white pelt blazing like a star in the dark space.

While he was gone, Amberlight whispered quickly, "Listen up, Brokenstar. I'm going to make sure that you never come back here. Ever. You had your chance and you messed it up. I'm not going to let you kill my Clanmates so you can have some kind of revenge on StarClan, do you understand?"

His response wasn't long in coming: _We'll see._

"No, you won't," she spat, spying the rock propped up against the wall. She reached out with her uninjured paw and pulled it close. "I found it!" she called to Windfall, who immediately dashed over.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the rock. "That's it?"

"Doesn't look like much, does it?" she asked grimly.

He tilted his head. "This is what controls the Dark Forest? Why would they do that?"

"StarClan?"

"Yeah," he murmured, reaching out as if to touch it. "It seems kind of stupid to let something like this free the Dark Forest, don't you think?"

"I suppose." She had never really thought of it like that. "Hollystar told me to put my blood on it and it would seal it somehow."

"Will that put the cats back?" His voice was suddenly hushed.

Amberlight shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Then what are you going to do?" he asked insistently. "You might be able to put them back somehow, don't you think?"

"I don't know." She sighed heavily. She was tired—so, so tired. She just wanted this to be over so she could finally lay down and rest, to sleep a dreamless sleep and not have to wake up to this nightmare anymore. "They didn't tell me."

Windfall fell silent, sitting down with a huff. His tail flicked as he looked at the rock.

"You know, it's not too late to leave," she told him, a sick pit in her stomach twisting as she imagined his reaction.

"There's nowhere for me to go. I don't want to leave." He turned to press his nose against her ear. "I'll never leave you again, Amberlight. Not ever again."

"You'll die if you stay here," she murmured.

"I already told you," he said lightly, licking her ear. "I've made up my mind."

Amberlight closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"I love you, Amberlight. Why would I leave you now when you need me the most?"

Her heart soared as he said the words. Glancing up at him, she saw that his blue eyes were gentle and kind.

In that moment she saw, as if in one of her blood-caused visions, his life—the future he could have if this had never happened. Windfall could have been the deputy, the leader of ShadowClan, a proud and fierce warrior. A faceless mate sat in the background, every line of her body proud and confident in his abilities. At her paws would play a litter of Windfall's kits, strong warriors that would grow up to aid their father.

In her own future, she saw nothing—a blank slate.

But if they had just had more time together, she thought wistfully. Just a little more time. She would have left for him, she would have left ThunderClan and everyone she knew just to have a few moments by his side, as that mate she saw in her mind. Would that have been too much to ask? Was it really too much to want to be by the side of the cat she loved the most? Could it be that she was selfish in imagining what her and Windfall's kits would look like? Would they have had her fur and his eyes? Would they have had the strong shoulders of a ThunderClan cat combined with the sleek fur of a ShadowClan warrior?

She shook her head. It was useless, she thought, to imagine what could have been. Now, all there was all that was left.

"Are you ready?" she asked him, leaning into his shoulder one more time, one more intake of his familiar scent.

He rested his chin on top of her head. "Whenever you are, Amberlight."

Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she lifted a paw—that strange marked one that had cursed her with these painful visions of death and suffering—and bit deep into it, drawing blood. The irony of it even now struck her and she nearly laughed. _I hope you're happy, Hollystar. This is what you wanted._

Then slowly, she extended her paw and pressed it against that icy-cold black surface.

At first nothing happened.

Then it started with one yowl.

One yowl that became two, then ten, then a thousand, all screams of a cat in the most severe form of suffering.

Amberlight felt her own voice join them as her fur ruffled around her face as if from a great wind, her paw feeling bolted to the rock.

As she watched, shadowy forms filled the edges of her vision, swirling black and red like leaf-fall leaves caught in the wind. Gleaming pairs of scarlet eyes glared at her with fierce hatred as they soared past her face, tugging at her whiskers and yanking at her fur.

She could barely hear Windfall's confused voice over the howls of the Dark Forest.

And then just as suddenly, it was over.

They were gone, and she was just herself.

"Ah," she said, shocked by the sudden loss of energy. "That…that wasn't that bad."

She didn't even feel herself falling until Windfall threw his paws out to try and catch her. "…wake up, alright?" he was saying, his voice sounding very far away.

"They're…they're all gone." Her tongue felt heavy and thick as she tried to speak. "It worked, Windfall."

"The roof is falling in," he said, his voice panicky. "We have to go."

"It won't fall here," she explained slowly. "We're safe."

Her eyes were clouded over now—she couldn't see his face anymore. The tiredness she was feeling was peaking now, making her thoughts sluggish. But even through the haze of shadows and freezing air, she could see a spark, a golden flare off in the distance like sunlight over broken water.

_Are you there? _she called, her voice to soft to be heard. _I think I can see you._

"You've done well, Amberlight," the voice said warmly as the cat pressed closer, her fur backlit by the brilliant golden light. "It is time to come home."

"Windfall, it's Hazeltail," she said, surprised to hear her voice out loud. "She's here."

"Hazeltail? Amberlight, what are you—" He cut off abruptly, suddenly coming more sharply into focus, as if he had stepped into her waking dream. His eyes widened as he stared at the golden cat. "Holy StarClan!" he hissed in surprise.

"Welcome, son of ShadowClan," Hazeltail greeted him, bending her head regally. "You are a brave spirit to follow this cat into the den of shadows."

"Rosecloud, but…you died!" He stared at her, eyes wide and alarmed.

Rosecloud? But this was Hazeltail!

"Be calm, daughter," Hazeltail said gently, as if reading her thoughts. "This is only an appearance projected to be familiar to you. I appear differently to everyone."

"Why are you here?" Amberlight whispered, already knowing the answer.

Hazeltail tilted her head to one side. "Are you ready?"

"What about Hollystar, Blackflower, and Silverblaze?"

Hazeltail frowned just the tiniest bit. "They have made their choice. To stay on the outside is a hard decision, and it is irreversible. They will watch over the Clans and never rest for the rest of eternity. It is not a choice I would advise for you, young one."

"They won't be affected by what I've done, will they?" As much as she disliked the trio of cats that had cursed her with this paw, she couldn't resist asking.

Hazeltail shook her head. "They will continue to walk their old paths in between."

She nodded. "Good, then."

Hazeltail turned to Windfall. "Brave warrior, you have much time left to live. Is this truly the choice you wish to take?"

Windfall nodded immediately. "Yes. Absolutely."

A bit of amusement came over Hazeltail's face. "In that case, there is someone who has been waiting for you a long time." She turned and looked over her shoulder to where another cat was approaching out of the light, this one younger, more sprightly in step, and as she approached, Amberlight could pick out her black-and-white pelt.

"Skypaw!" Windfall rushed forward, stopping in confusion when Skypaw pressed her nose to his gently. "You're so small!"

"This is how I looked when I died," the apprentice mewed, cheerfully pressing her muzzle against his shoulder. "I've missed you so much, Windfall." She pulled away from him and padded up to Amberlight, touching noses with her just as affectionately. "Thank you," she murmured, so low that only Amberlight could hear. "You brought him back when he was almost gone. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Amberlight purred. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Hazeltail swept her tail upwards, stepping back towards the golden light that made the blank white horizon shimmer slightly as if from heat. "Shall we go, then?"

Amberlight looked behind her, back at the empty dark cave filled with the scent of dampness and decay. Would everyone be okay? Hollyflight and Redpaw…and her parents. Would they all be alright without her?

Then she remembered how Hollyflight had supported Redpaw in his injured state and knew she could trust their family to her littermates.

"I'm ready," she said strongly, turning back to Hazeltail. "Let's go."

And then Amberlight left her body behind to follow the StarClan cats into that shining horizon, feeling the warm glow of the golden light on her back and the comforting presence of Windfall at her side.

And she was happy.

* * *

**Aaaw. Now that that's done with, I am kinda sad to see the end of this fic in sight. I've spent the past year on this little trilogy, so it's really sad to be almost done with it. D:**

**But anyhoo, R&R~**

**Shadow**


	35. Epilogue

**Aaaaw, and here it is. The end. The finale. The conclusion. -sob-**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Wind whispered through the dry bracken of Hollyflight's nest as she shifted funcomfortably in the sticky, pokey stuff, grumbling low in her throat about how she was going to have the whiskers of the apprentice that had given her such poor bedding.

Blinking open sleep-filled eyes, she saw the calm, even breathing of Hareflight, who slept next to her, his grayed paws twitching in his sleep as he dreamed. The scars that the fire had burnt into his flesh so many seasons ago had healed over, leaving patches of bare skin edged with bristly fur that poked at Faintstripe next to him. The old she-cat was slumbering less peacefully, her eyes twitching under the lids as Hollyflight watched.

Hollyflight chuckled as she turned away, stretching out her stiff legs and yawning. A moment of peace was hard to find in ThunderClan these days, she mused. Ever since Faintstripe's youngest daughter had become leader, she hadn't been able to get any rest—the energetic Flickerstar made sure that the Clan ran smoothly as possible, leading many of the patrols herself and leaving the duties of apprentice-watching and organizing battle training to her deputy, Greenheart.

"Hey!"

Hollyflight cracked open one eye. "What do you want, Ravenpelt?" she rasped. "I'm a little busy here."

The warrior in front of her was a handsome black tom, his fur thick and lustrous, with white paws and bright blue eyes that were reproachful as he stared sourly down at her. "I called you twice," he said testily.

"Well, I told you I was busy." She yawned again. "Leave me alone."

"Get up!" He came over and nudged her ribs hard with one paw. "It's important."

"Shouldn't you be with Galewing?" she hinted, glaring up at him. "It's strange that a tom wouldn't be with his own mate when she's kitting."

Ravenpelt rolled his eyes. "That's what I'm talking about, Hollyflight. Galewing's had her kits! We want you to be the first one to see before we introduce them to the Clan."

"Oh." Hollyflight blinked. "Well, why didn't you say so?" She got to her paws with a sharp intake of breath as her bones creaked. "Stupid young cats, never getting to the point."

Ravenpelt sighed heavily. "Honestly, are you never in a good mood?"

"I'm in a perfectly wonderful mood," she protested. "Actually, I thought I was particularly charming today. Did you see how I didn't kill that little rat Fennelpaw when he dropped mouse bile in my nest?"

"You shouldn't talk that way about your own kin," he scoffed in return.

Hollyflight huffed. "Not my direct kin."

"He's Redwhisker's grandson! That makes him your kin." He rolled his eyes again. "Honestly, you're getting senile, I swear."

"I am not," she snapped. "My mind is perfectly clear." And it was, she thought fiercely, tottering along after the black-pelted tom towards the nursery. All around her, the Clan went on with its business—little apprentices darting here and there burdened with moss and twigs, warriors prepared to go out on patrol, queens lounged in the sun, warming their heavy bellies. It was comforting in a way, she mused as the milky scents of the nursery reached her dry nose, to know that the Clan was still strong after nearly breaking so long ago.

A long-furred silver she-cat was snuggled down into a nest lined with downy feathers and tufts of rabbit fur, two tiny kits wriggling near her belly. She looked up with bright amber eyes as her mate pressed his muzzle to hers, purring loudly. "Hello, Hollyflight. How are you feeling today? Lightstep told me your back was hurting you."

"That nosy medicine cat should keep her whiskers out of my business," Hollyflight grumbled in return, shaking off Galewing's question. "Anyway, how did you do?"

"Splendidly, as I thought she would." A white she-cat padded into the den, mouth full of thick wide leaves. "With my help, of course," she added, setting down her bundle.

Hollyflight looked at her dryly. "Well, you know what they say about speaking of someone, I guess."

Lightstep scowled. "Did you eat those poppy seeds I gave you?"

"I don't need poppy seeds," Hollyflight said dispassionately. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Hollyflight, you're the oldest cat in the Clan. You need to let me take care of you." Lightstep padded forward and sniffed at the older she-cat's pelt. "You need to apply that poultice I gave you. It'll really help with the soreness."

"Alright, alright." She glared at the young medicine cat, who was completely oblivious to the gesture. "I might. After I see these kits, that is."

Galewing nudged her kits to help them turn around. They were tiny, Hollyflight thought as she squinted down at them, one a tiny black scrap and the other a gingery color, smudged with white.

"They're cute," she said softly.

At the sound of her voice, the kits starting to cry. She pulled back and let Galewing tend to them, stroking them with long swipes of her rough tongue.

"We wanted you to be the first to see." Ravenpelt looked like he was having a hard time containing himself. "We've got a few names picked out that we wanted to run by you."

"Oh? Like?"

Galewing nodded to the black one. "For the tom, we were thinking Darkkit."

"A strong name," Hollyflight said approvingly. "And the female?"

"That's where we wanted your opinion." Ravenpelt nosed his little daughter gently. "We've tried a dozen names and none seem to fit. Firekit, Orangekit, Sunkit…none of them."

Hollyflight looked down at the tiny kit—already she was squirming around more than her brother, her tiny voice loud and strong. She would be a good big sister to him.

Feeling a rush of warm affection and nostalgia, she let out a sigh. "How about Amberkit?"

Ravenpelt's eyes widened minutely, but Galewing let out a trill of excitement. "Amberkit!" she echoed. "That would work wonderfully, don't you think, Ravenpelt?"

Ravenpelt gazed warmly down at his mate. "It's perfect." He pressed his muzzle against hers again and added, "I'll take Hollyflight back now."

"Thank you for your help," Galewing called as the two padded out of the nursery.

Hollyflight just chuckled and shook her head. "No problem at all."

Ravenpelt mewed goodbye to his mate, promising to be back soon.

As soon as they were halfway to the elders' den, Hollyflight stopped. "I want to go out into the forest."

Ravenpelt immediately lashed his tail. "I don't have time to take you out."

"I don't need you to come with me, Ravenpelt," she snapped. "I don't need you to mother over me. I can take care of myself. I think I should be allowed to go out into the woods when I like."

Ravenpelt sighed. "Please, try and understand. I can't let you go out without an escort. If you just wait a moment—"

"You can tell Flickerstar that I went out if she asks," Hollyflight said crossly. "Otherwise, keep your nose in your own business."

Ravenpelt put his ears back. "You're so stubborn. You never change, Mother."

Hollyflight grudgingly softened a little at that. "You got your levelheadedness from your father."

He let out a short laugh. "And my sense, too. You don't have enough to find your way out of camp, let alone into the woods."

"Your kits really are cute," she told him. "They'll make fine warriors one day, I'm sure."

"Interesting that you would pick the name Amberkit, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It wouldn't have to do with your sister, would it?"

Hollyflight scoffed. "Amberkit is a perfectly normal name. Besides, Galewing loved it. That's all that matters."

"Uh-huh. Are you sure you don't want to wait a little and I'll come out, too? I just need to get Flickerstar to come in and check on the kits."

She just waved him down with one paw, already halfway out the thorn barrier. "I'll just see you later, brat."

"Be safe!" he called out, sounding apprehensive.

"Yeah, yeah." Already, his voice was almost out of her hearing range—which had shortened considerably and irritably as the seasons passed.

Seasons. She laughed. Had it all really gone by so quickly?

She remembered all of it as if it was only yesterday—the damage caused by the Dark Forest was now a long-forgotten memory, a scary story to tell the kits of the next generation. They were a shadow of their former selves, wiped out by Amberlight.

Amberlight. Just the name sent a pang of sadness through Hollyflight's old heart. Her sister was gone, long gone and dead. Redwhisker too, and his mate, the former kittypet Snowshine. Her brother Shardclaw had lasted longer, taken a mate with Oakdapple and filled ThunderClan with their kits, one of which was the irritating yet unrepressably happy Lightstep.

She remembered when she and Redwhisker had first turned up with the two kittypets right after Amberlight's death. Lionstar's face had been at first incredulous when his son had reappeared again with two white kittypets, then heartbroken when he was told of Amberlight's death. Cinderheart had been inconsolable, withdrawing in on herself and distancing herself from her mate and her sisters for moons. Lionstar had believed Redwhisker when he had told of all Amberlight had done to save them, but decided not to tell the Clan what had really happened—he reasoned that their Clanmates were better off not knowing what had nearly happened with the Dark Forest.

Hollyflight had hotly protested, only to be stopped by Redwhisker. "We'll know what happened," he had told her softly.

But that had not made her forgive her father.

And now she was at the place where it had all happened.

The cave was nothing now, not even an opening anymore. It was more like a depression in the ground where grass and flowers had overgrown the hard-packed dirt moons ago, forming a miniature meadow that she now sat down heavily in.

She closed her eyes as the memory of this place washed over her, filling her mind with the sharp images of that day.

Hollyflight had just stared in horrified amazement as the opening caved in on itself, releasing the dirt around it with a rush of air that almost sounded like an intake of breath, like the ground had sighed in relief. And as soon as it happened, she ran forward, digging her paws into the loose soil and rocks, scraping her paws on the hot stones.

Redwhisker had stopped her, saying how it was best to go back and find Clanmates to help them. He took off, Crescent and Winnie following after him, leaving her there in silence.

It seemed like it took ages for them to get back, Lionstar and a patrol in tow. It took days to shift enough soil to get down into the tunnel, days to move out the rocks and stones blocking the way, days to finally get down into the very depths of the cave.

She had been the first to break into that tiny cell in the depths of the earth, and even now she could remember that rancid, icy scent that clotted her nostrils.

And there they were.

Amberlight and Windfall were curled together, their tails entwined as though they were sleeping. They looked so peaceful, so content, that Hollyflight was certain they had gone easily.

Hollyflight pulled herself out of the memory, getting to her paws with a grunt and heading back towards camp, diverting off the path to the site overlooking the lake where ThunderClan buried their dead. Over the place where each cat lay, a rock rested, marking the site where a once-strong warrior was buried.

Repetition had made it easy to find Amberlight's.

The stone that lay over her sister's body was a deep slate gray, swirled through with lighter traces of a different makeup. She had picked it herself from the banks of the river, aiming to find one that was different-looking enough so that she could always know which was Amberlight's.

Right next to Amberlight laid Windfall.

Hollyflight settled down between their two graves, sighing heavily.

Lionstar had first suggested taking his body to ShadowClan for burial, but both Redwhisker and Hollyflight had protested. He had left ShadowClan, she reasoned, and he had died by Amberlight's side: it was only natural for that to be his final resting place.

Hollyflight remembered the last thing the white tom had said to her during that fiery night outside the cave. She had been helping Redwhisker stand as their sister readied herself to plunge into the darkness of that nightmarish tunnel when Windfall had run over to her, his eyes bright through the haze of smoke.

"I just wanted to thank you two," he had said quickly. "I don't think I can thank you enough, but this is as good as I can do. Thank you so much for allowing me this much."

"You know if you go in there you can't come back, right?" Hollyflight had nearly snarled. "You're going to die."

"I know." He didn't say the words with the smallest ounce of regret. "I don't have any doubts about what I'm going to do."

Redwhisker had managed to straighten himself despite the bloody mess that his shoulder was. "Take care of her," was all he had said.

Windfall had nodded. "Thank you. Thank you so much." He bent his head in a respectful bow before dashing back over to Amberlight and disappearing down into the tunnel.

A cold wind pulled at Hollyflight's whiskers and she shivered, getting to her paws once again and heading back towards camp, halting in front of Redwhisker's grave. "Hey, little mouse," she murmured. "Today's your son's kits' naming ceremony. Fennelpaw and Swiftpaw will be good warriors for the Clan, I'm sure. It's a shame you have to miss out on it."

Snowshine had died suddenly from greencough four seasons ago and Redwhisker hadn't lasted much longer—he was incomplete without the strong white she-cat, it seemed, and his heart had given out. His daughter Applefrost had found him when she had come to visit her mother's grave.

And now Hollyflight was all alone. Redwhisker and Amberlight were both gone, along with the rest of the old ThunderClan. The Clan these days was lead by the next generation of tough, intelligent warriors, with only her, Hareflight, and Faintstripe remaining to tell the tales of their youth to the kits of the Clan.

It had darkened by the time Hollyflight made it back to camp, and the clearing was filled with motion. Flickerstar, with her distinctive speckled pelt, was standing on the Highledge with the tawny-furred Greenheart at her side

"Hollyflight, Hollyflight!" A pale gray apprentice came bundling up to her, pressing her pink nose into Hollyflight's shoulder. "I'm going to be a warrior today!"

Hollyflight nudged the she-cat with one paw. "I can't believe you're old enough for that, Swiftpaw. I remember when you were kitted!"

"Flintstrike told me that I was the loudest kit he'd ever seen," Swiftpaw said proudly, lifting her chin.

"Yes, well, Flintstrike hadn't ever seen a kit before you two were born. He's just a proud father."

Swiftpaw let out a little huff, curling her tail over her back. "Are you saying I wasn't a loud kit?"

"Swiftpaw, you've never stopped being a loud kit." Hollyflight let out a rusty purr. "I'll be watching you get your name. You better go find your mother and have her clean you up. It looks like you've run head-first into a bramble patch."

The gray she-cat agreed with a cheerful mew before turning to bounce away, nearly colliding with Ravenpelt as he made his way over.

"How was your walk?" he asked mockingly, sitting next to her.

"Fine," she replied stiffly. "I told you I would be fine."

"You need to be more careful," he warned her. "You're getting far too old to be wandering around in the forest by yourself."

"I always go out by myself," she spat, angry now. "I don't need a brat like you to tell me otherwise."

"I'm just worried for you, Hollyflight." He turned to glare at her, those dark blue eyes of his so much like his father's that she felt a little jolt. "You need to be careful."

"Pah." She turned sourly away. "You sure know how to ruin a mood, Ravenpelt."

He let out a short, humorless laugh. "I'm just careful."

"How are your kits?"

"Fine. They're both asleep now, thank StarClan. I was worried that Galewing wasn't going to get any rest. She's really worn out."

"Kit-birth will do that to you," Hollyflight pointed out.

"But Lightstep told us that the delivery would be easy because yours was," he said fretfully.

"You worry too much," she said bluntly. "And besides, I only had you. Galewing had two kits."

"I suppose." He looked wistfully in the direction of the nursery. "I wish that Flickerstar would hurry up. I want to get back to her."

"Be patient. Galewing doesn't need a nosy tom breathing down her neck." Hollyflight settled down on her belly, tucking her paws beneath her chest. "Just let her sleep. She deserves some peace for once."

Flickerstar was pacing along the edge of the Highledge, looking impatient as always. "Cats of ThunderClan," she began at last. "We have gathered here to honor the hard work of these two apprentices. Fennelpaw, Swiftpaw, if you'll come forward…"

Hollyflight watched the warrior ceremony, feeling a warm bubble of pride to see her kin being named. _Redwhisker_, _Snowshine, I hope you're watching. _

When it was over and the Clan raised their voices, Hollyflight felt a sudden rush of tiredness. She always seemed to be tired these days, her paws and eyelids heavy as she got her legs underneath her. Fennelpaw and Swiftpaw—now Fenneltail and Swiftbrook—soaked up the praise of their Clanmates, their eyes shining with pride. She would congratulate them later, she told herself, making her way to the elders' den.

"Hollyflight, where are you going?" Lightstep was there again, Flickerstar at her side. "Did you take those poppy seeds? They'll help you sleep."

"I'm fine, Lightstep," she snapped. "Leave me alone already. You're getting on my nerves."

Lightstep spared a glance with Flickerstar. "Told you."

The young leader sighed heavily. "Don't make me make this an order, Hollyflight."

Hollyflight narrowed her eyes. "Go ahead and make it an order, then."

"Don't you want to sleep?" Flickerstar pressed, concern in her quick voice now.

Hollyflight shut her eyes tightly and turned away. "I'm fine."

Lightstep's eyes flickered with understanding. "Flickerstar, it's fine. I'll handle this."

Flickerstar looked uncertain, but Lightstep shuffled her away back to her den. "I'm going, I'm going!" she protested, shoving the medicine cat away gently. "Go ahead and do whatever."

Hollyflight already had turned away and padded back into her den, curling up in her nest and keeping her eyes with no intention of sleeping. The moment she closed her eyes, she knew that she would see _them_, and she wanted nothing less than that.

There was a light pattering of paws and the strong scent of herbs as Lightstep trotted inside the elders' den. "I'm going to put this poultice on, okay?"

"Save your herbs," Hollyflight told her. "I don't need them as much as a younger cat."

"You're just as important," she chided gently, applying the cool herbs to Hollyflight's spine. "You're the oldest in the Clan, so that means you're the wisest."

Hollyflight chuckled, wincing at the slight pressure of the medicine cat's paws. "I'm not sure about that last part. If I was a little wiser, maybe things would have been different."

"Do you mean Rainshadow?"

Hollyflight didn't answer.

"You've been so distant lately, Hollyflight. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing really," she lied, resting her chin on her paws. "The usual: annoying kits, loud warriors."

Lightstep's next layer of poultice was applied with a little more force, making Hollyflight bite back a hiss of pain. "Is that true?"

Hollyflight gritted her teeth. "Close enough."

"You shouldn't push everyone away." Lightstep rubbed her paws clean on some scraps of moss, leaving behind the sharp tang of herbs. "We're all the same cats, you know. We all love you, Hollyflight."

"I find that hard to believe," she said dryly. "And besides, what do you young ones need with me? I'm just another mouth to feed."

Lightstep glared at her. "Don't you say that!" she snapped. "You're not being yourself, Hollyflight!"

"Whose self would I otherwise be being?" She yawned widely, curling her tail close to her side. "Thanks for the herbs."

Lightstep bristled at the dismissal. "I'll be back to check on you at sunrise," she mewed, a little more force in her voice than necessary.

"See you then." Hollyflight waited until she was outside of the den before turning to look at her back—her thin fur was matted with the pasty herbs, uncomfortably sticky against her skin.

_So this is how it is now, huh? _She turned back and closed her eyes again, sighing. _Reduced to being helped by the kits I watched being born—it's pathetic. _Opening her eyes to slits, she stared out at the wall of the den, able to see the tiniest specks of the early-rising stars in the sky. They glittered coldly up in the sky, as far away as ever.

"If only I could join you," she murmured, surprising herself.

_Cut it out. _She shook her head sharply, as if to cast the thoughts from her mind. _There's no point in that._

She thought back over what Lightstep had said: _Is this about Rainshadow?_

Spitting to herself, she turned her head to the side and shut her eyes tightly.

_Definitely not, _a tiny voice in the back of her head whispered. _I got over that a long time ago._

Rainshadow had been killed seasons ago, barely days after he had been granted the privilege of being a senior warrior. A border fight with ShadowClan, she remembered vaguely, over something ridiculous and stupid—a stolen vole. So much lost from one tiny offense. She hadn't been on that patrol—she'd been in camp, helping Ravenpelt—then Ravenkit—learn how to fall easily into the hunting crouch. They'd brought Rainshadow's body back into camp and she knew in that instant what it felt like to die, to lose a part of herself and know that it was never coming back.

The moons that followed after that day were nothing in her mind, a blank in her mind as if someone had come in and clawed out a chunk of her memories.

And now here she was, old and alone—the last of her generation of warriors. Only Hareflight and Faintstripe remained, but it was not the same.

When Hollyflight was a kit, she remembered hearing her mother telling her it was lonely at the top. She hadn't known then what it meant, but now, with a feeling of the utmost irony, she understood.

She longed for the days with her siblings, before anything had happened. If something could happen…if she could do it all over again…

No, she stopped herself. She would do exactly the same things. She wouldn't change a thing.

Laying her head back down and closing her eyes, Hollyflight laughed at herself for being so pathetic, an old cat riddled with guilt and pain and losing her mind. When had this happened?

Though she hadn't wanted to sleep, she found her eyelids growing heavy.

And there, burning in her mind like the fires that had raged through the forest on that fateful day, stood everyone: her mother and father, Redwhisker with Snowshine at his side, their tails entwined, Shardclaw and Oakdapple bickering good-naturedly as usual, their personalities rather strangely meshing, her mentor Graystripe with his kits and mate, all watching her happily. Amberlight and Windfall stood to the side next to Redwhisker—Amberlight had her muzzle buried in Windfall's thick white fur while he gently licked her ear, resting his chin on top of her head.

It hurt Hollyflight to see them all so young and vibrant, but this is how it always was: she couldn't close her eyes without seeing all that she had lost.

Rainshadow's dark eyes found hers, brimming with love and pride. She felt her heart ache as she watched him, but he wouldn't approach. That is how the dream worked—she could see them, nearly reach out and touch them, but no one would say a word. This world was warm but silent, comforting yet lonely, yearning yet heartbreaking. It killed Hollyflight to come here and watch them, see them so far off in the distance haloed by the shimmering golden light, and not be able to move a kitten-step or say a word.

But this time, something was different.

Rainshadow stepped forward, his paws making no sound on the long grass below, and stopped in front of her, bending his head forward to gently gaze at her. "I've missed you." His voice brought back such a wave of nostalgia that Hollyflight couldn't speak for a moment.

She blinked rapidly. "How is this possible? Have I finally gone crazy?" She let out a choked bit of laughter. "You look so young, just like you did when you died. I haven't seen you this clearly in a long time."

He nodded slowly. "You're ready now, Hollyflight."

"Ready?" she repeated. "Ready for what?"

Rainshadow turned to look over her shoulder at something. "Are you leaving anything behind that's unfinished?"

And then it hit her, what he was asking her. "I…I can go with you?" she asked, her voice catching. She didn't want to believe it, to get her hopes up again just to come crashing to the ground.

"Do you want to?" he asked her, his deep mew low and intense and his blue eyes calm as deep water.

Hollyflight didn't even have to think twice. "Yes. More than anything."

Rainshadow's eyes softened and he reached forward for her.

And without any hesitation, Hollyflight moved forward, too.

As their noses touched gently for the first time in longer than she cared to remember, a sudden warmth flooded through Hollyflight, making her gasp in shock and step backward. A wind ruffled the fur of her face, making her close her eyes as her whiskers pressed against her face.

And when she opened her eyes, it was like she was seeing for the first time.

Rainshadow was standing right next to her, his eyes shining with that dark light that she loved so much.

And when she looked down at her own paws, she felt a pang of shock course through her.

The coarse graying fur of her paws was gone now, replaced with the luxuriously soft fur she had seasons ago in her prime. Already, the pain in her back was receding as if it had never existed in the first place, and her muscles felt strong and smooth again. Her head wasn't full of the foggy sluggishness she'd been learning to deal with; instead, her mind was clear and lucid as she looked out at all the cats she had missed all this time.

"Shall we go?" Rainshadow asked her, motioning towards the cats farther away. "They're all waiting for you."

"Do you really have to ask me that?" She lifted her chin and put a lofty cast onto her tone. "You must have really been miserable here without me."

He just shook his head. "I can see you haven't changed in all of this time, Hollyflight. I thought that after you had Ravenpelt, you'd at least be a little nicer." His eyes softened. "How's our son doing?"

"He's had his first kits with Galewing. Darkkit and Amberkit."

Rainshadow laughed fondly. "I wish I could have met them. But I suppose I will one day."

They had approached the rest of the cats now, and at once Redwhisker and Amberlight dashed over, pressing their noses into Hollyflight's new pelt and mewing greetings.

Hollyflight brushed her tail down Redwhisker's side. "Looks like you're back to normal, little mouse."

He narrowed his eyes teasingly. "Even now that I'm bigger than you, you still call me that?"

"Don't speak that way of your elders," Hollyflight told him, feeling a rush of fiendish glee that she hadn't experienced in a long time. "You better be respectful."

Amberlight hung back until Hollyflight had finished talking to Redwhisker before padding up, her eyes just as gentle as ever. "It's good to see you again, Hollyflight."

Hollyflight nodded. "I told you I'd see you soon. Looks like that was a little longer than I thought."

Amberlight laughed. "But now we are together. We won't ever have to be apart again." She turned and pressed her muzzle into Windfall's neck as he padded up, eyes bright and fur healthy.

Hollyflight felt a warm bubble of happiness. "Never again," she said softly in agreement.

And as the world slowly turned below them, Hollyflight sat with her siblings and her kin, watching over the Clans from this new angle, feeling that this was how it was supposed to be: here, being with her family and her loved ones, guarding the Clans far below from danger…this was what it truly meant to be a Clan cat. Even once you had finished living with the Clan, you protected it even after, for as long as forever stretched on into this golden-lit beautiful place. That was the meaning of being a Clan cat, she mused, following the group of cats into that light off in the distance, feeling the beautiful light flood over her, turning her gray fur to a brilliant gold.

Laughing, she picked up her speed until she overtook the little group, running so fast and free that it felt like she was flying over the long grass below her. She glanced over her shoulder to see them following, running smoothly and strongly as she was, before turning back to that blinding horizon.

This was it. This was her shining prize waiting at the end of that dismal tunnel. This was peace. This was freedom. This was love, and kin, and pride, and strength, and glory.

This was StarClan.

* * *

**The End~**

**Goooosh, I didn't know I'd be so sad to see this end. I mean, this is basically the last chapter of the past year of my life! I've dedicated a lot of time and energy into this Warriors trilogy, so I hope you guys have liked it. It's been great writing practice for me, and I hope that there are a few nuggets of goodness among the cliches and plot snarls. **

**As I said, I probably won't be writing anymore Warriors fanfiction, and definitely not continuing off of this. I think that this trilogy definitely ended where it was supposed to, and I'm really happy with it. I hope that everyone who read this-reviewer or not-probably deserves a prize, since this is a really long, sometimes awful piece of written word. XD **

**But I digress~**

**Signing off for the last time for _S3_, (T~T)**

**Shadow~**


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